Health Ombud office dealing with 300 complaints a month Nokuthula Khanyile Tue, 03/24/2026 - 09:00
JOHANNESBURG – The office of the Health Ombudsman says it receives about 300 serious and minor cases of medical negligence and failures at healthcare facilities a month. This was revealed by Health Ombud Taole Resetselemang Mokoena. Mokoena released findings on two patient deaths at Gauteng hospitals, highlighting serious lapses in care, governance, and patient safety in both the public and private hospitals. “In a month, we receive nearly 300 cases, but most of them are of a minor degree, mainly just a lack of communication between the institution and the healthcare users,” said Mokoena.
“The ones that are serious where there is death or complications are few… but still few is few too many."
Mokoena said miscommunication between healthcare users and institutions was compounded by multiple factors, including pressure faced by staff. “The ratio of healthcare professionals to patients is undesirable. There are too few health professionals in our country, certainly fewer than what the World Health Organisation recommends.”
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He said while reported cases stemmed from dissatisfaction in both the private and public healthcare facilities, the bulk of the cases were from the public sector as it serves about 80 percent of the population. “The private sector serves 20 percent of the population, versus the 80 percent by the public hospitals. By just the laws of averages, there will be more reported incidents in public hospitals. All things being equal, however, things are not equal. The public hospitals are under more pressure, the infrastructure is crumbling, and morale is low.” The Health Ombud said in some cases, healthcare professionals made unintentional mistakes.
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“There is a proverb that says to err is human. Even the best of us miss steps sometimes, and when there is lots of pressure and fatigue, errors ensue.” He said change “was slow and coming” in ensuring patient care is non-negotiable. “The officials do act according to our recommendations, although that hasn’t happened at the speed we require and need.”
