(a) According to the Eastern Cape province this issue was experienced in August 2021 and is attributable to a tender process that made it impossible to have the necessary range of products to choose from.
The key challenge with implants at Livingstone hospital and the whole EC province is the absence of a comprehensive transversal contract and gross budget limitations within the province. The hospital is the only referral hospital for implants in the Western area of the Eastern Cape resulting in massive backlogs.
(b) We are not aware nor informed of any other hospitals experiencing this issue;
(c) (i) To address the budgetary limits, there is a plan to source additional funding that can only be sourced from the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury. Where possible, the National Department of Health may assist the province, however, it also depends on the availability of additional funding from the National Treasury.
To address the orthopaedic surgery problem that have an impact on Livingstone hospital the following interventions have been proposed to the Eastern Cape Province:
(ii) To deal with the issue of the provision of adequate suppliers, there is also a plan to develop a transversal contract at National level that will also enhance services across other provinces facing similar challenges.
There has also been a discussion that the Eastern Cape should participate in the Western Cape contract to fast track the provision of surgical implants as an immediate intervention.
END.