Johannesburg – The treatment of thousands of cancer patients in Gauteng is threatened by long delays in getting biopsies from the Johannesburg Anatomical Pathology Laboratory.
The revelations were made on Thursday, 18 September 2025, by Dr. Jack Bloom, MPL and Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Shadow MEC for Health.
Dr. Bloom said the Gauteng cancer patients suffer deadly biopsy delays because the Johannesburg Anatomical Pathology Laboratory was poorly run and has huge staff vacancies.
He said the Joburg pathology lab was crippled by staff exodus, mismanagement, and excessive biopsy delays.
Dr. Bloom said patients wait up to three months for “urgent cancer biopsy results”.
He said the Lab had 19 pathologists and only three remain with 12 000 samples unprocessed, some dating back to last year.
Compounding the situation, five medical technologists recently left.
Dr. Bloom said as a result, doctors are unable to start treatment, and survival chances plummet.
“The laboratory is crowded with unprocessed reports and piles of samples in buckets,” revealed Dr. Bloom.
“Suspected cancer cases should get priority, but doctors say it used to take seven-10 days to get the biopsy results of a lump in the breast, but it now takes four-six weeks.
“Mastectomy results used to be three to four weeks, but can now take three months.
“Other badly affected biopsies are for suspected prostate, skin, and organ cancers.”
Dr. Bloom said the excessive waiting times for biopsy results cause huge anxiety for patients whose survival chances plummet without a speedy diagnosis.
“Huge numbers of patients are affected as this laboratory serves hospitals and clinics in Johannesburg, the East and West Rand, and the Vaal,” explained Dr. Bloom.
“North Gauteng is served by a laboratory at Steve Biko Hospital, and Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital has its own laboratory.”
The National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) administers this laboratory, which is headed by Dr. Reubina Wadee.
“The DA in Gauteng will request Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko to intervene urgently in this dire situation to ensure biopsy results are speeded up to save the lives of patients,” said Dr. Bloom.
Developing story…
Comments from the Gauteng Department of Health will be added asap.
