Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko has encouraged the public to make use of the complaint management system in the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) to make their voices heard.
She emphasised the importance of the public and patients expressing their satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the quality of healthcare services they are receiving.
“Through the complaints process, we are able to reflect and improve the provision of quality healthcare and patient experience of care to Gauteng residents. This is why we are actively encouraging the public and patients to lodge complaints immediately at the hospital or clinic where the unpleasant treatment occurred to ensure timeous resolution of the complaints,” said MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko.
It is important that the complainants give as much detail as possible when lodging their complaints or compliments and where possible, contact details should be provided to enable the Department to further investigate the cases. Cases lodged through the complaints management system have a quicker turnaround time as this enables for the capturing of relevant details.
The department says out of 3 369 public and patient complaints which were lodged at Gauteng health facilities (Hospitals and clinics) and registered in the National Complaints database during the 2022/23 financial year, the GDoH has successfully resolved 3 307 (98%).
“Quality Assurance Units in health facilities, receive complaints, acknowledge these within 24-hours, investigate and conduct redress to resolve the complaint. The process of resolving the complaints ranges between, 10, 15 and 25 working days depending on the complexity of the complaint. It should be noted that there are still 62 unresolved complaints from the period under review due to various reasons including unavailable, untraceable complainant and referral for further investigations,” said GDoH’s Head of Communications Motalatale Modiba.
Modiba noted that complaints received include those related to staff attitude, access to information, physical access, patient care, availability of medicines, waiting times, missing patient files, food and linen, as well as hygiene and cleanliness.
“All health facilities in the province have Complaints or Quality Assurance and Facility Managers to whom complaints can be lodged. These managers’ photographs and contact details are usually displayed on the walls accessible to members of the public and patients. There are also complaints boxes in service areas where complaints, compliments and suggestions can be dropped in,” Modiba added.
Members of the public and patients who have any hospital or clinic complaints are urged to contact the GDoH’s Quality Assurance Directorate on 0800 203 886 or Email: patientcomplaints.health@gauteng.gov.za or SMS: 35025
