Bloom alleges cover-up of heart surgery deaths at Charlotte Maxeke

By Johnathan Paoli

The DA in Gauteng on Tuesday called for an urgent independent investigation into Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital’s cardiothoracic unit, alleging poor surgical outcomes, governance failures, and a possible cover-up.

At a press briefing, DA Gauteng health spokesperson Jack Bloom said the situation in the unit amounted to a “surgical disaster”.

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“My assessment is that there is a disgraceful cover-up by both Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Hospital and Wits Medical School. According to my sources, the actual heart surgery mortality rate at Charlotte Maxeke is approximately 20%, which is a catastrophic failure. Overseas, mortality rates exceeding 2 to 3% would immediately trigger a formal inquiry,” Bloom said.

Bloom said his allegations of a possible cover-up stemmed from a letter he received from an anonymous senior cardiothoracic surgeon who resigned in October last year in protest.

Bloom said that he