Johannesburg - The shortage of linens across Gauteng hospitals almost cost a breast cancer patient her life.
After weeks of delays in securing a date for her operation, Theresa Schultz has been given a new lease on life after she received a life-changing call for her operation.
Last month, the mother of two spoke to The Star and pleaded with Helen Joseph Hospital to expedite her operation following her chemotherapy in November last year.
She said that she was on the verge of giving up and resigning her life to her fate when she was this week called by the hospital informing her that it had secured an operation date for her.
“I am grateful to this newspaper for the help as I have just received a call from the hospital saying I must do a test on Monday (yesterday), while my operation has been secured for either Tuesday or Wednesday. If it was not for this newspaper, I don’t know what would have become of my situation,” Schultz said.
Schultz, who underwent her chemotherapy in November, said that she had been given the run around by the hospital.
She added that she had spent the past few weeks in and out of the hospital in an effort to secure surgery.
“As a patient who has been suffering from a high-grade stage 3 (cancer, awaiting) invasive surgery, which has been continuously delayed, it was becoming a matter of life-and death situation for me.
“This is because each time I managed to secure a date, my surgery would be cancelled. I was told by the authorities of the hospital that they can’t operate on me due to bed linen shortages at Helen Joseph.”
Schultz said she was in the process of taking legal action against the hospital as her rights to life had been threatened due to the delays.
“I was at my wit’s end fighting for my life and I desperately needed someone to hear me. Professor Benn, who recently left Helen Joseph, had opted to do my surgery pro-bono. However, she did not have the facility to do it. When I told Helen Joseph, I was told that they have competent doctors,” she said.
Spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Health, Motalatale Modiba, said there was a communication misunderstanding between the patient and the hospital officials, which he had personally resolved.
“There was a shortage of beds and I think there was a misunderstanding between the patient and the hospital as the hospital tried to get hold of the patient to alert her of her date. I have been in contact with the hospital and tried to make them understand the urgency of the situation. I am glad that this has since been resolved,” Modiba said.
The Star