Recently a video of former radio broadcaster Tom London went viral after he exposed negligence, mistreatment and non-functional medical equipment at Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg. In the video London accused doctors of treating patients like cockroaches. 

Everyone has the right to a healthy and safe environment that will ensure their mental health or well being is taken care of. And when these rights are violated it’s your right to complain and have your concerns heard. We’ve compiled a step-by-step guide of how you can go about lodging a complaint.  

Lodging a complaint in public health facilities

Anyone, not just the patient, can lodge a complaint. These include the patient,  a visitor or someone escorting the patient, a person acting on behalf of the  patient who is incapable of registering the complaint, or a family member of a patient who has died.

To lay a formal complaint against a facility, you have to fill in a complaint form. The forms should be available in a clearly marked box at the reception area of all government clinics and hospitals. According to the National Guideline to Manage Complaints, Compliments and Suggestions in the Health Sector of South Africa:  

• You should expect acknowledgement within three working days of submitting the complaint.This is after the complaints have been taken to the quality assurance manager or a designated officer.
• If your  complaint cannot be resolved on the spot it will be rendered to the head of the hospital or clinic. 
• If the healthcare facility is unable to resolve the complaint within 15 days, a complainant can call the provincial health hotline. The call centre operators will escalate the complaint to their supervisors who will then forward it to the National Department of Health for further investigations

Health-e News called the toll free numbers listed on the websites of all of the provincial health departments to see if they were working. The phones rang unanswered in the North West and Northern Cape health departments. But we were able to verify that the following lines for lodging complaints worked:   

• In the Eastern Cape the number which is displayed on the department’s website is no longer in service. Grievances can be emailed to callcentre@echealth.gov.za 
• Mpumalanga Health Department:  0137663076
• Free State Health Department:  051 408 1302 or 051 408 1345. The cellphone lines are 0826189867, 0832335109 or 083 233 9401.
• Gauteng Health Department: 0800 203 886 
• The Limpopo Health Department does not have a dedicated toll free number but people can call Macks Lesufi who deals with the department’s complaints at 0605200538.
• Western Cape Health Department: 0860142142 – You can also send a ‘Please call me’ to 0797691207.

If all the above steps have been followed with no resolution, you can then contact the National Department of Health via WhatsApp at 0600123456

Lodging a complaint with the health ombud

The office of the Health Ombudsman is another avenue that you can use to raise grievances against healthcare workers in public – and private – health facilities. 

A complaint can be lodged by calling the Complaints Call Centre on the toll free number 0809116472 or by emailing complaints@ohsc.org.za. The call centre operators register, record and screen all complaints and refer it to the next level. 

Low risk complaints are addressed at the level of the call centre.

High risk complaints are referred to the Complaints Assessment Unit.

Cases that are assessed as high risk are escalated to the Complaints and Investigation Unit. You can find more information about the process here. 

Lodging a complaint about healthcare practitioners

Healthcare workers are regulated by the Health Professional Council of South Africa (HPCSA). You can  lodge a complaint against doctors and other health professionals with the HPCSA. 

There are two ways to lodge a complaint with HPCSA. 

A complaint can be lodged through the HPCSA online portal which will require you to register in order to complete  the complaints form.

The council says this will allow the HPCSA to keep in touch with you after they’ve received your   complaint. 

When filing a complaint against a health worker, you have to specify details like the name, surname, and practice number of the healthcare professional. You also have to include all relevant dates and facts as well as any supporting documents. A person complaining on behalf of a patient must  provide a power of attorney/affidavit document signed by the patient. 

You can also download a complaint form available on the website and send it to legalmed@hpcsa.co.za after completing it or have it couriered or hand delivered to 663 Madiba Street, Arcadia, Pretoria. – Health-e News