KZN eyes oncologists from Cuba and India as no one will work in state hospitals
Durban still does not have a single permanent oncologist at its two state hospitals designated to address cancer treatment, as the KwaZulu-Natal health department battles to lure specialists from the private sector. The situation is so dire the department is now working on plans to import oncologists either from Cuba or India to mitigate the cancer treatment crisis. India currently has the most oncologists in the world. The department’s acting head‚ Dr Musa Gumede‚ made the disclosure during a media briefing to reflect on the health outcomes over a 10-year period from 2009, in Durban on Tuesday. The briefing comes after a Durban man‚ Hoosen Noor Mahomed‚ diagnosed with stage-four cancer was reportedly refused treatment at Addington Hospital on Friday after he was allegedly told he was old and "going to die anyway". Mahomed died the following day. Gumede said the plan to import oncologists from Cuba or India was being done in collaboration with the national Department of Health, but ...
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