THE Oncology Department at Gqeberha’s Provincial Hospital is facing a critical shortage of chemotherapy drugs due to unpaid pharmaceutical suppliers, a situation that has prompted grave concern and calls for immediate reform.
This alarming trend was highlighted during a recent oversight inspection by Jane Cowley MPL, DA Shadow MEC for Health, who observed that life-saving cancer treatments were unavailable because the Eastern Cape Department of Health had “failed to meet its financial obligations,” according to Cowley.
The Shadow MEC noted that patients with conditions such as Hodgkin’s Lymphoma are currently being treated with second-line medications, which are less effective than those globally recognised as first-line treatments.
“This deterioration in care has led to some patients regressing in their health, resulting in removal from transplant lists for procedures such as bone marrow transplants.
“Imagine being told that your child, your parent, or your partner, could have been saved — if only the Department of Health had prioritised their life over its administrative costs,” Cowley mentioned in a statement.
The DA further called for the Eastern Cape Department of Health to be placed under administration in accordance with Section 100 of the Constitution.
“This intervention is a lifeline for a system on the verge of collapse, a call to action to protect the constitutional right to healthcare and the right to life,” argued Cowley.
The ongoing financial mismanagement by the Department, she claimed, presents not just a bureaucratic failure but effectively a death sentence for affected individuals.
Highlighting the broader impact of this crisis, Cowley warned that the failure to pay suppliers threatens the entire future of the healthcare system, potentially exacerbating medico-legal claims and driving the Department into deeper financial chaos.
Cowley has urgently written to Health MEC, Ntandokazi Capa, demanding prompt payments to suppliers to restore access to critical cancer treatments and a reassessment of departmental spending priorities.
In response, Eastern Cape Department of Health spokesperson, Mkhululi Ndamase, acknowledged the challenges with supplier payments, stating that efforts are ongoing to resolve these issues.
Ndamase highlighted recent upgrades in oncology services, including new equipment at Livingstone and Frere hospitals and an advanced oncology unit being built at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha.
He dismissed criticisms as “mischievous misinformation,” stressing that the Department remains committed to patient care.
‘The challenges with supplier payments are common knowledge, and all efforts are in motion to resolve the matter. Our patients remain our priority at all times.
“As such, we can confirm that the medicines that were temporarily out of stock are expected to be delivered today (Wednesday, January 22),” Ndamase concluded.
