Helen Joseph Hospital complaints: This is how they responded

Since Tom London exposed the horrific conditions faced by patients at Helen Joseph Hospital, social media users have been sharing their personal experiences.

The South African have also been inundated with comments from their readers who’ve documented their harrowing accounts at the Johannesburg public hospital as well as others around the country/.

We’ve reached out to them about your complaints….

TOM LONDON SAGA: THE SOUTH AFRICAN READERS SPEAK OUT

Through our social media channels, The South African readers have been sharing their experiences at the Helen Joseph Hospital.

Like Tom London, many have complained about the poor service and mistreatment of doctors and staff on duty.

Here’s what a few had to say:

Jessica Oberholzer – “My husband went in for a kidney stone. He was there for a full week after discharging himself because there was no water to do the surgery – a whole week! He had to keep asking for an update, and no doctors came to see him, only nurses. My father went in for an ulcer – they induced his coma and he was out for a full week, passing away in the coma. None of the doctors or nurses showed any empathy or compassion”.

Chantel: “We took my grandfather there about three weeks back, he had a stroke and bleeding on the brain.  The left side of his body is paralyzed, and every time we go there to visit, the staff has fastened him to the bed, even the side that paralyzed. We asked why, and the sister said it was because he was naughty. They have left him in his own urine and faeces without cleaning him. We discharged him after no treatment.”

Trudy Lombard: “My mother went through hell. They even tried to give Her the wrong medication. If she were not so observant, she would be dead today. Plus, she had to sit in the passage for three days, no bed, no working toilet, no loo paper, and urine smell everywhere. She didnt even get a pillow or blanket.”

Petro Bosch: “My brother has lost both legs there due to negligence and same behavior of Drs. And security were spiteful and just do what they want and treat everyone bad”

Zharina Francis: “Helen Joseph….a horrible hospital. I witnessed a cop who got shot and they just left him there on a stretcher to die. No help.

HELEN JOSEPH HOSPITAL RESPONDS

In a statement to The South African, the Gauteng Department of Health noted the concern of individuals who experienced poor treatment at the Helen Joseph Hospital and others around the province.

The department encouraged those with less than satisfactory experiences to do the following:

• Lay an official complaint with their 24-hour, toll-free customer line on 0800 203 886. 
• Alternatively, they can share their experiences via SMS to 35023 or email patientscomplaints.health@gauteng.gov.za or support@gauteng.gov.za.
• Patients are also encouraged to share their experiences via the annual Patient Experience of Care survey.

According to the department, they had recently rolled out a campaign called “I Serve With A Smile” that sought to “address staff attitude as well as bolster morale among healthcare workers in order to improve patient experience and reduce patient dissatisfaction and complaints.”

It added: “The campaign encourages every healthcare worker to approach their work with a smile, enthusiasm, empathy, and a friendly demeanour. 

WHAT DOES THE MINISTER OF HEALTH HAVE TO SAY?

Although Tom London claimed that Gauteng MEC Panyaza Lesufi was disturbed by his experience at the Helen Joseph Hospital.

However, in a statement, Gauteng MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko defended the staff, whom she claimed “cared for, subjected to tests and stabilised” the patient in question.

“The department is satisfied adequate clinical care was discharged to manage his condition,” said department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba.

Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi claimed that Tom London’s experience did not reflect the health system as a whole.

In an interview with the SABC, he said of the viral videos: “It broke our hearts. It was quite disappointing. But under no [circumstances] are we going to condemn the whole public healthcare system because of what happened at Helen Joseph.

“There are millions of South Africans who have gone through our hospitals, been treated, and sent home.  [But] we are not going to sit here and argue that we don’t have problems. We do have them.

“The public healthcare system treats 86% of the population every year, which amounts to millions of people. These cases don’t appear in the media because the media highlights only negative stories. But [every now and then], we do [have incidents such as the one at Helen Joseph Hospital], which breaks our hearts, obviously. 

“However, I am saying that [on the basis] of what happened at Helen Joseph, and in many other areas where something went wrong, we should not throw our hands in the air in despair.”