Read: Sexually transmitted diseases massively on the rise in Gauteng
Sexually transmitted diseases have shot up in Gauteng over the last two years. Yet another huge problem for the department of health to deal with.
Well, this is something we didn’t expect to be writing about today. A written reply from Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa has revealed an alarming and dramatic increase in Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Gauteng over the last two years.
The reply was addressed to Jack Bloom, the DA’s Gauteng Shadow Health MEC. It reveals that 500 000 patients were treated for STIs last year in the province’s public hospitals and clinics.
The STIs treated in 2015 and 2016 were as follows:
| 2015 | 2016 | |
| Male urethral syndrome | 55 021 | 104 720 |
| STI treated new episode | 205 960 | 465944 |
Ramokgopa said that the 20-29 age group is the most affected. She also revealed that more females are attending the public health facilities than males, this is due to social, behavioural and biological factors.
Bloom says the rise in these diseases has to be taken more seriously, especially because of other potential risk factors.
“It is disturbing that STIs like syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea have increased so sharply. While they are curable, their presence increases the risk of HIV-infection.
More efforts are needed to highlight what can be done to prevent STIs, and to provide swift effective treatment to prevent an epidemic amongst young people in particular.”
Just last week, it was revealed that the province’s health department was losing tens of billions in payouts for negligence. Legal claims against the department for medical negligence and other matters now sits at R21.96 billion. That figure has caused particular alarm as it is over half of this years R40.2 billion health budget.
The department’s annual report revealed that the medical negligence claims have risen over the last year from R14.1 billion to R18.6 billion. R1.7 billion for civil claims and R1.5 billion for the premature termination of contracts have also raised eyebrows.
With negligence and now STI’s on the rise, the Gauteng Department of Health is facing numerous challenges (some self-inflicted) all at the same time.
