How long is the neurosurgery waiting list?

There is no single national waiting list in South African private practice. Timing depends on how urgent your problem is, the hospital and theatre availability, and how quickly your medical aid authorises the procedure.

Emergencies — a ruptured aneurysm, an acute subdural, cauda equina syndrome — are operated on the same day. Nothing gets in the way of that.

Urgent but not emergent cases — a tumour causing progressive symptoms, a disc with significant weakness — are usually scheduled within one to two weeks.

Elective cases — for example, a stable disc with radicular pain that has failed conservative treatment — are typically booked two to four weeks out, mostly to give time for pre-authorisation and pre-operative work-up.

If your case is time-sensitive, tell my rooms. We prioritise theatre slots based on clinical urgency, not on the order in which patients booked.