21 November 2025
Tshepong Hospital: Orthopaedic doctors idle due to unpaid debt
By Salomé Kotzé
Klerksdorp Record, Klerksdorp - That there is a crisis at the Klerksdorp Tshepong Hospital Complex’s Orthopedic Ward is no longer in dispute.
It has been confirmed by doctors, patients, and suppliers that there has been a total operational shutdown since the end of October. Klerksdorp Record has uncovered a staggering financial gridlock: suppliers are refusing to provide crucial medical hardware due to an outstanding debt an agent says has rung up to nearly R25 million owed by the Department of Health.
An agent representing several affected medical hardware companies confirmed the financial disaster: “They are almost R25 million in arrears, and the companies decided they will not supply essential hardware - from screws to joint implants - if they do not receive some of the money owed.”
This payment default has brought all essential, non-emergency orthopeadic surgery - including the setting of complex fractures, knee and hip replacements - to a standstill.
The human cost? “You have to wait, because companies haven’t been paid,’’ is what Jafta Sedumedi say doctors at Tshepong Hospital told him. He broke his arm during a soccer match and was sent home “not even with painkillers’’.
The financial crisis has translated directly into devastating human consequences, with desperate patients being turned away from life-changing and often urgent operations.
Several more patients confirmed that they were discharged despite being in severe pain and having been scheduled for operations. Multiple sources corroborated that doctors, frustrated by the situation, have been forced to be transparent with patients. They are reportedly telling patients directly that they must “wait because the medical companies have not been paid.”
“My sister come from an accident last week Wednesday where she was critically injured on her leg and ribs also spinal cord. So today the doctor told her that she will be released after two days because the hospital didn’t pay money for treatment so they can fix her leg,’’ a family member told Klerksdorp Record.
A doctor in the orthopaedic ward shared on condition of anonymity that they are threatened with dismissal if they talk to the media. However, they cannot lie to patients “as they have the right to know’’. The doctor said they are only sitting around, doing nothing where in the past the orthopaedic theatre was in operation 24/7. “I did not study 7 years for this. Patients are the ones who suffer, no-one else.’’
Another patient sent the following to Klerksdorp Record about his wife in hospital since October 26 with a leg injury. It seems he wants to pay the components needed to get her to surgery: “I went to Klerksdorp Hospital this morning as I could not get hold of the Hospital Manager telephonically. He advised that the funds (for orthopaedic) will only maybe be available by end Nov, mid December. I asked again about the possibility of us buying the components required for surgery and he agreed. He contacted the Head Orthopeadic surgeon at Tshepong hospital of which he will have a list of the components ready by tomorrow. I will then request a quote directly from the supplier.’’
Seeking clarity on this surgical crisis, Klerksdorp Record submitted a detailed list of urgent questions to the North West Department of Health. To date, the Department has failed to provide any official response.
Critical questions that remain unanswered include:
* What clinical risk does the postponed surgery pose to patients waiting for urgent fracture fixation or joint replacements? Are these patients’ risks being assessed daily by a senior orthopedic surgeon? What are the long-term health consequences of these delays, especially for children?
* Given the high volume of common injuries like fractures, what is the hospital’s current, officially sanctioned protocol for managing these patients?
* For patients whose scheduled surgeries (e.g., joint replacements, fracture fixation) have been postponed, what is the official, updated estimated waiting time for their operation?
* What specific measures are being taken to address the pain management and mental well-being of patients who are experiencing prolonged surgical delays?
* Has the Department activated an emergency procurement plan to acquire the necessary medical hardware from an alternative supplier while the payment dispute is being resolved? If not, why has this step not been taken, and what measures are being implemented to ensure this critical supply shortage is not repeated in the future?”
* Who is the official or department primarily responsible for the payment of critical medical supplies, and what internal auditing processes are in place to ensure that such a severe default, which halts essential operations, does not occur?
