Time to regional surgical care in rural South Africa.

Background: District hospitals in South Africa have limited surgical capacity and regional hospitals treat most essential surgical conditions. This study aimed to describe the pathway and time to regional hospital surgical care for persons with general surgery conditions (PSC) in South Africa.

Methods: This was a retrospective audit of all persons referred on the Vula Mobile App to the general surgery service at Worcester Regional Hospital (WRH) from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.

Crystalline retinopathy.

A 34-year-old woman had crystalline dystrophy of the retina associated with atrophy of the choriocapillaris and pigment epithelium, and pigment clumping in the fundus periphery. Consanguinity of her parents suggested an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern for this type of crystalline retinal dystrophy. The patient did not have corneal crystals.