As at 14h30 today, a total of 387 surgeries have been performed in various areas of specialties such as general surgeries, cataracts, arthroplasty and orthopedic among others.

This initiative is part of our ongoing efforts to provide accelerated access to essential surgical care and improve the lives of patients in line with the 2024 Nelson Mandela Day theme, “It’s still in our hands to combat poverty and inequality,” through better health outcomes.

Earlier today, MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko joined the team at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital to oversee ongoing surgeries and handover donations at the maternity and adult wards. The facility is currently leading in the number of surgeries performed so far, with 64 procedures completed.

The hospital is also serving as the central hub for live capturing of statistics from all participating facilities, ensuring real-time monitoring and coordination of surgical activities on the Surgical Patient Dashboard tracker throughout the province.

This is one of the major interventions which saw the introduction of the dashboard in 2023. It allows the project team to monitor and track the number of surgeries performed daily across all public hospitals in the province. This live system enhances transparency and accountability, enabling us to make informed decisions and improve performance.

“Since the inception of the surgical marathon project in July 2023 we have performed over 107,000 surgical procedures to date. This remarkable achievement was made possible through the investments we have made in improving our service platforms, ensuring that we have functional theatres with linen, consumables, human resources and reliable infrastructure.

“We have taken proactive steps to ensure that facilities that previously could not perform surgeries are capacitated to do so. We have also been empowering our healthcare workers with the necessary continuous training,” explains MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.

This second edition of the Surgical Marathon programme will benefit patients that are currently on the waiting list. This initiative truly embodies the spirit of Nelson Mandela Day by improving lives through vital surgical interventions and making a tangible difference.

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Issued by the Gauteng Department of Health