Rethinking cardiac surgical care in South Africa: A call for a dialogue

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24170/26-2-8349

Abstract

The editorial titled “Cardiac surgery in South Africa: Have we failed our legacy?” By Reddy et al. discusses the temporal transition of cardiothoracic surgery in South Africa.(1) Cardiothoracic surgery in South Africa has a strong international legacy, highlighted by the world’s first heart transplant in 1967. However, at present services are unevenly distributed, with most specialists and resources concentrated in urban private hospitals, while the public sector faces long waiting lists and limited capacity. Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH), the third largest hospital in the world, currently lacks onsite cardiothoracic surgical services and has not performed cardiac surgery for nearly 30 years.(2) All surgical cases are referred to the overburdened and under-resourced Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.(2)

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Author Biography

Ruchika Meel, University of the Witwatersrand

Editor-in-Chief
Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand and Sandton Mediclinic, Johannesburg, South Africa

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Published

2026-05-08

How to Cite

Meel, R. (2026). Rethinking cardiac surgical care in South Africa: A call for a dialogue. SA Heart Journal, 26(2), 61–63. https://doi.org/10.24170/26-2-8349

Issue

Vol. 26 No. 2 (2026)

Section

Editorial

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