A different kind of love as Gauteng Health surgical teams work to restore quality of life and dignity through stoma reversal surgeries
The Gauteng Department of Health surgical teams will give a different kind of love this Valentine’s Day when they perform stoma reversal surgeries to 12 patients who had previously undergone Ostomy surgery.
Stoma reversal, also known as colostomy closure or ileostomy takedown, is a procedure that aims to restore the normal flow of waste through the digestive system by reconnecting the bowel after a temporary stoma has been created. The surgery is crucial for restoring a patient's quality of life and dignity, allowing them to regain control over their bowel function and eliminating the need for a stoma bag.
There are currently 100 ostomy patients who are eligible for the stoma reversal procedures during the month of February, 12 of these will have their operations done on Valentine’s Day (7 at Bertha Gxowa Regional Hospital and 5 at Tambo Memorial Regional Hospital). On average each case takes approximately 2 hours to operate.
The stoma reversal operations are part of the surgical marathons campaign that Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko introduced in July 2023 during Mandela Day when she declared war against surgical backlogs. At that time the department’s surgical backlog was sitting at 37 000. Through the intervention programme this has been reduced drastically by 25 253 as of first week of February 2024 .
The Department has successfully conducted 4 different types of surgical marathons focusing on the high patient numbers in the following surgical categories namely, Arthroplasty, Cataracts, Urology, and General Surgery. During February the stoma reversal surgeries will also receive much focus to make sure that all 100 patients are assisted.
The Department has introduced a Surgical Patient Dashboard tracker to monitor and track the number of surgeries that is being performed on a daily basis by all public hospitals within the province.
MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko pointed out that while the department might be chasing a moving target due to the fluctuation in the surgical procedure numbers there is no doubt that the surgical marathon project has made an impact.
“The various teams across our service platforms have been consistently performing surgical marathons on a weekly and monthly basis and the process has also benefited health practitioners in terms of building capacity and skills transfer.
“This intervention is part of the key commitments made by the 6th administration when I was assigned to the health portfolio. In the past six months the programme has restored much hope to thousands of patients and their families whose lives have been impacted one way or the other by various conditions. The progress made thus far affirms our resolve to deliver a healthcare system that ensures prompt and quality care for all residents of Gauteng,” she explained.
MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko furthermore extended her appreciation to all the healthcare workers who have been working tirelessly in order for the GDoH to reach the milestone of over 25 000 surgeries and counting.
Media enquiries:
Motalatale Modiba, Head of Communication
Cell: 064 803 0808
E-mail: Healthmediaenquiries@gauteng.gov.za
Tshepo Shawa, spokesperson for the MEC for Health
Cell: 072 222 6333
E-mail:Tshepo.Shawa@gauteng.gov.z
