The Gauteng Department of Health says it has passed the halfway mark of its 2026 Mandela Month Surgical Marathon, completing more than 600 surgeries and clinical procedures in just over a week as part of efforts to reduce patient waiting lists.
The month-long initiative, which runs until 31 July, is being carried out at five public hospitals across the province, including Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Kalafong Provincial Tertiary Hospital, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
Department spokesperson Steve Mabona said the campaign demonstrates the growing capacity of participating hospitals to perform more surgeries and improve access to specialist healthcare services.
According to Mabona, ophthalmology has recorded the highest number of completed procedures, with 273 surgeries performed so far.
This is followed by obstetrics and gynaecology with 88 procedures, general surgery with 73, orthopaedic surgery with 40, breast surgery with 34, urology with 29, and plastic and reconstructive surgery with 26.
Mabona said the surgical marathon has also seen patients receive a range of specialised procedures, including maxillofacial and oral surgery, surgical gastroenterology, burn care, thoracic surgery and neurosurgery.
He said these interventions are aimed at improving patients' quality of life while helping to ease the backlog of surgeries in the province's public health facilities.
The Gauteng Department of Health expects the number of completed procedures to continue rising as the Mandela Month Surgical Marathon continues through the end of July.