Groote Schuur Hospital Launch Surgical Project for Women's Health

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This Women’s Month, Groote Schuur Hospital is reducing backlogs and helping women make informed decisions about their reproductive futures.

Cape Town, South Africa (21 August 2025)- For hundreds of women in Cape Town’s Metro West area, the wait for permanent family planning has been long and uncertain. This Women’s Month, Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) is taking bold steps to change that. Through the “Informed Choices for Healthy Futures” project, the hospital is running extra surgical lists throughout August to help women finally access tubal ligation procedures that, in some cases, have been delayed for years.

The initiative aims to operate on at least 60 women this month, prioritising those who have been waiting the longest. Procedures are scheduled as day cases, allowing women to receive timely care while easing the burden on inpatient beds. The project is a partnership with the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness (WCDHW) and receives essential support from the GSH Trust to fund nursing and anaesthesia staff.

“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.

Fittingly, the very first list was launched on Women’s Day, 9 August, with long-awaited procedures performed for women who had been on the waiting list the longest.

“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 reminder that access to healthcare is a fundamental part of gender equality,” says Dr Sadia Murray.

Dr Shaheem de Vries, CEO of Groote Schuur Hospital and the WCDHW, has welcomed the project’s support, noting that partnerships like these help close gaps in an already stretched public health system.

“By reducing this backlog, we are not only improving individual health outcomes but also contributing to stronger families and more stable communities. Every woman who chooses permanent family planning and receives it without years of waiting is one more step toward a more equitable healthcare system.”

Located in Observatory, just minutes from the University of Cape Town, Groote Schuur Hospital is widely known for training some of South Africa’s top doctors and nurses. Internationally, it made history in 1967 when Dr Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first successful human heart transplant. Today, the hospital continues that legacy by combining clinical excellence with initiatives like the Informed Choices for Healthy Futures project, putting women’s health and empowerment front and centre.