When Dr Ilna Conradie looked for alternative ways to reduce the waiting time for surgery of breast cancer patients at Tygerberg Hospital (TBH) last year, she came across Project Flamingo – a charity-based programme that facilitates “catch up” surgeries over weekends to shorten the waiting time for breast cancer patients.
“Currently the waiting time is three months. I personally know people who have been affected by breast cancer. It’s unthinkable that someone has to walk around with the diagnosis for so long while waiting for surgery,” says Conradie, a specialist consultant at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences’ Division of Surgery.
Project Flamingo is an NGO launched in 2010 by Dr Liana Roodt. Roodt initially started the project to help ensure timely surgery for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients at Groote Schuur Hospital and was eager to help when she found out that Conradie had the same vision. The waiting lists at Groote Schuur has already been reduced from 10 weeks to between 2 and 4 weeks. Conradie hopes to ultimately achieve the same at TBH.
Conradie started talking to colleagues at TBH and quickly realised that many of were enthusiastic and eager to help. This motivated her even more: “We can’t sit and wait for someone else to solve the problem.”
Together she and Roodt decided on two Saturday “test” theatre lists on 12 November and 10 December 2016 to determine whether they’ll be able to handle the undertaking on a more regular basis.
“Everything went smoothly. After the second list Dr Roodt contacted me with dates for 2017,” Conradie explains.
In total six dates were fixed for 2017, of which the first was successfully completed on 11 February. “It was a double list, so we helped 11 patients in total. On the single lists we can help seven people on average per day.”
She says if everything goes according to plan this year, they’ll be able to shrink the waiting time with a whole month.
The project relies on volunteers and Project Flamingo covers the costs of the nursing staff and food on the day, while TBH covers the theatre costs.
According to Conradie there are various roles for volunteers to get involved in. “The lists are scheduled for Saturdays and we always need an anaesthetist, a surgeon, an assistant, five theatre staff, and a motivated team in the ward.” With their list in February, they also had a gynaecologist and plastic surgeon to assist in operating on a BRCA-carrier.
Conradie would also like all the patients to receive pamper packs to make them feel special.
“Breast cancer is so prevalent in our society. Most of us know someone who’s been affected by it. This project gives us all an opportunity to make a real difference.”
