The Gauteng Department of Health has rejected claims by the Democratic Alliance (DA) that a patient was left permanently blind because of broken equipment at Steve Biko Academic Hospital’s Eye Clinic, saying the patient’s medical history does not support that conclusion.

The dispute follows a statement issued by the DA on Monday, in which the party alleged that delays in repairing critical ophthalmology equipment resulted in a patient permanently losing vision in one eye after waiting six months for retinal surgery.

According to the DA, the patient had been living with a detached retina in the right eye since February and required urgent retinal surgery. The party claimed that the operation was delayed because the compressor and suction systems needed to operate the hospital’s constellation machine had broken down and had not been replaced.

The DA alleged that despite attending consultations at both Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Mamelodi Eye Clinic, the patient did not receive the necessary surgery in time. It said a procedure was later performed at Mamelodi Eye Clinic to save the patient’s left eye before the patient was referred back to Steve Biko Academic Hospital.

The opposition party further claimed that other patients had also experienced delays because retinal surgery services had been suspended due to equipment failures.

DA Gauteng health’s Madeleine Hicklin said the party had been informed that specialists had even raised R10,000 to purchase a replacement compressor themselves in an effort to resume retinal surgeries.

According to the DA, hospital management allegedly rejected the proposal, insisting that procurement had to follow Gauteng Department of Health supply chain management processes.

The DA said a WhatsApp message shared with the party reflected frustration among specialists who believed procurement delays had unnecessarily prevented retinal surgeries from resuming and placed patients at risk.

The party called on Gauteng Health MEC Faith Mazibuko and Head of Department Dr Darian Barclay to urgently intervene to ensure the immediate procurement of the required equipment, restore retinal surgery services at Steve Biko Academic Hospital and establish appropriate referral pathways for affected patients.

It also called for accountability for what it described as failures that had resulted in irreversible harm to patients.

However, in a statement issued on Tuesday, the Gauteng Department of Health strongly disputed the DA’s version of events.

Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the department rejected what it described as “factually flawed claims” that the patient had been left permanently blind because of broken equipment at Steve Biko Academic Hospital.

“The Gauteng Department of Health rejects the factually flawed claims that a patient was left permanently blind because of broken equipment at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital Eye Clinic,” Mabona said.

He said the department sympathised with the patient and acknowledged the distress associated with deteriorating or lost vision but cautioned that such matters should be communicated responsibly and based on verified clinical information.

“Such a sensitive matter must be communicated responsibly and based on verified clinical information rather than assumptions that may unnecessarily alarm patients and undermine confidence in public healthcare services,” Mabona said.

According to the department, the patient had a complex medical history involving multiple previous surgical procedures.

Mabona said specialists at another hospital within the Steve Biko Academic Hospital cluster assessed the patient and operated on the eye that had the better chance of retaining vision.

“The patient was informed, through a counselling process, that the prognosis for the other eye was already poor and that surgery was unlikely to restore vision,” he said.

He added that it was therefore inaccurate and misleading to attribute the irreversible loss of vision solely to equipment and infrastructure challenges at the hospital.

While disputing the DA’s claims about the cause of the patient’s blindness, the department acknowledged that procurement delays relating to infrastructure had affected service delivery.

Mabona said procurement processes to acquire the necessary equipment were at an advanced stage and that delivery was expected soon to address the situation.

“It must be emphasised that the patient’s clinical records do not support the claim that this infrastructure challenge contributed significantly to the blindness,” he said.

The department also expressed concern about what it described as the careless handling of confidential and clinically complex patient matters without first establishing all the facts.

“We all have a responsibility to communicate health matters accurately, particularly where unverified claims may cause unnecessary anxiety among patients awaiting care, and as such we must be cautious at all times,” Mabona said.

He said Gauteng Health remained committed to restoring affected ophthalmology services, maintaining essential infrastructure and medical equipment and ensuring appropriate referral pathways between healthcare facilities.

According to the department, patients requiring specialist eye care will continue to be clinically assessed and referred to facilities capable of providing the necessary treatment while efforts continue to restore services at Steve Biko Academic Hospital.