Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Western Cape Province has faced a backlog in surgeries according to health officials and has therefore purchased two surgical robots to assist with surgeries.
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Addressing the Parliament Portfolio Committee on Health on 28 September, Dr Nonhlanhla Makhanya confirmed that South Africa is currently facing 175 000 surgical backlogs.
Departments mostly affected were “orthopaedic, obstetrical and gynaecology, general surgery, ophthalmology, urology, oncology, cardio-thoracic and plastic surgery.”
The R80 million surgical robots are meant to tackle the 77 139 procedures that are in the line-up in the Western Cape according to the City Press.
The use of robots in surgery as stated by Dr Makhaya is meant to “reduce the recovery time and allow patients to be discharged earlier.”
Non-emergency surgeries rescheduled due to the coronavirus are now back on the calendar and the city’s hospitals will be working overtime and at weekends to make sure patients get surgeries as soon as possible.
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