This Women’s Month, Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH), in partnership with Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness (WCDHW) and with support from the GSH Trust, is taking decisive action to lessen the backlog in women’s reproductive healthcare. On Women’s Day, 9 August 2025, the first dedicated surgical list for the “Informed Choices for Healthy Futures” project will launch, providing longawaited tubal ligation procedures – a permanent family planning option – for women who have been waiting, in some cases, for years.
Currently, more than 300 women in the Metro West area are on the waiting list for these elective surgeries, with no definitive date for their procedures. Due to large patient volumes and resource pressure in the public health system the unfortunate impact is that women have been discharged with only contraception options or referred elsewhere for these elective surgeries.
The WCDHW welcomes the assistance of the “Informed Choices for Healthy Futures”
project which partners with our health system to try to close some of our resource gaps where possible. Together we can certainly do more.
Through this Women’s Month initiative, GSH’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology will run additional surgical lists during August, supported by the Hospital Trust through fundraising and strategic partnerships to cover essential nursing and anaesthesia staffing costs.
The aim is to operate on 60 women during the month, starting with those who have been waiting the longest. The procedures will be done as day cases, reducing the pressure on inpatient beds while providing dignified, timely care.
“This project is about more than just reducing a waiting list,” says Dr Sadia Murray,
Medical Manager in charge of Mother, Women and Child at Groote Schuur Hospital. “It’s about empowering women with the ability to make informed decisions about their reproductive futures. Launching the first list on Women’s Day is symbolic — a reminderthat access to healthcare is a fundamental part of gender equality.”
The initiative aligns with South Africa’s commitments to the United Nations SustainableDevelopment Goals, particularly Goal 3.7 (universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services) and Goal 5.6 (ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive rights).
“By reducing this backlog, we are not only improving individual health outcomes but also contributing to stronger families and more stable communities,” adds Dr Shaheem de Vries, CEO of Groote Schuur Hospital. “Every woman who chooses permanent family planning and receives it without years of waiting is one more step toward a more equitable healthcare system.”
The Groote Schuur Hospital Trust is calling on donors and partners to support the
“Informed Choices for Healthy Futures” initiative to ensure its succcess and sustainbility beyond Women’s Month.
