Groote Schuur

Thanks to the generous support of LottoStar, Groote Schuur Hospital has made remarkable strides in delivering emergency orthopaedic surgeries to trauma patients who would otherwise face long delays.

Launched in April 2025, the Emergency Funds for Emergency Surgery project set out to deliver 70 additional emergency theatre lists over 12 months. With R1.8 million in funding from LottoStar to the Groote Schuur Hospital Trust, the project is on track to support 60 lists.

From June to September, 16 emergency theatre lists were completed, resulting in 53 patients receiving surgery—exceeding the estimated average of three patients per list. A total of 56 procedures were performed, including multi-stage operations for 12 patients. The most common surgeries involved ankle and upper-limb fracture fixations, reflecting the high incidence of trauma-related injuries.

Despite scheduling and staffing constraints during the winter months, the surgical team is actively trailing additional weekend lists and doubling up weekly sessions to close the gap and accelerate delivery.

The patients treated during this period came from a wide range of communities across Cape Town – highlighting the importance of ensuring equal access to emergency care for all.

“The Emergency Surgery lists have made a massive difference to our waiting times for orthopaedic trauma cases. We manage to process an additional 3+ patients every week thanks to the additional weekly list.” — Maritz Laubscher, Associate Professor, Trauma Limb Reconstruction

This initiative has not only helped more patients get the surgeries they need, but it’s also reduced waiting times and allowed the hospital to treat more trauma cases each week—transforming lives through timely care.

We are proud to partner with Groote Schuur Hospital and look forward to seeing the full impact of this project unfold in the months ahead.