CIVIL society organisations who have taken the Gauteng Health Department to court for failure to spend R784 million allocated for cancer patients has accused the department of dragging its feet.
This was revealed when the Cancer Alliance, represented by Section27, approached the Joburg Hight Court to ask for a postponement in the matter despite the matter being scheduled for Tuesday, 23 July.
According to Section27 spokeswoman Pearl Nicodemus, the Gauteng Health MEC for Health, Gauteng Department of Health and the two hospitals that provide radiation oncology services in the province only filed their answering affidavit in the case on the evening of Friday, 19 July.
"The respondents' answering affidavit had been due on Friday, 12 July and they then asked for an extension to Tuesday, 16 July. As a result of the delay, Cancer Alliance is now considering its response and preparing a replying affidavit," she said.
Nicodemus said as a result of these delays, the matter could not proceed and advised on the new date once one is allocated by the judge.
This lawsuit filed by Cancer Alliance, represented by Section27, against Gauteng Health MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, Gauteng Department of Health and nine others, is in response to the department's inability to use the R784 million provided by Gauteng Treasury in 2023.
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This fund was meant to outsource radiation oncology services for more than 3 000 patients currently on the backlog list. Many of these patients have been waiting for years and tragically, some have died while waiting for the department to act.
Among those who found herself on the waiting list is 40-year-old Thato Moncho, who was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer in September 2020.
She's currently on chemotherapy pills and has faced at least three recurrences of cancer and despite undergoing surgery, she has been waiting for more than four years for radiation treatment.
"I don't know what will happen to me tomorrow, I might wake up, or I might not. I'm asking, please clear the backlog," she said.
Gauteng Health spokesman Motalatale Modiba said the department was opposing this matter in court.
"It's important to clarify that the application by the Cancer Alliance is primarily driven by the awarding of a tender in which their preferred service provider failed to participate within the validity period.
"We continue to comply with all requirements to ensure that radiation oncology services are delivered to all patients who need them," he said
A new date is yet to be allocated.
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