Sexual abuse, insufficient anaesthetic during surgery and patients left to lie for hours in blood and urine-soaked linen — these are among the hundreds of cases of alleged public hospital neglect detailed in a report submitted by the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) to the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for further investigation.
The report, released by the FF+ on Wednesday, was compiled from 273 complaints submitted to the party in response to its invitation to patients to share their experiences at public health facilities in the year to August. It catalogues gruesome cases — including that of a mother whose stillborn infant was allegedly placed in a medical waste bag and thrown in a bin in front of her — and paints a picture of a public health system on its knees.
Patients described filthy wards and operating theatres, agonisingly long waits for pain relief, and hostile, humiliating treatment by staff.
“It paints a disturbing picture of human rights abuses, utter decline in service delivery and infrastructure, as well as staff incompetence and [an] indifferent attitude towards the plight and suffering of patients,” said FF+ health spokesperson Philip van Staden. “The government is unable to provide adequate healthcare. It must be held accountable for every single human rights violation,” he said.
The FF+ received complaints from patients at about 93 public hospitals and three private hospitals. Almost a quarter (23) of the complaints were about public hospitals in Gauteng.
Critical shortages
The complaints submitted by patients indicated the public health system faces a critical shortage of ambulances, medicines, equipment and personnel, and is corrupt and poorly managed, said Van Staden.
The government’s plans for National Health Insurance (NHI) will not solve the problems at these facilities, and the FF+ has launched a petition against the plan, he said.
NHI is the government’s policy for achieving universal health coverage, and it is aimed at ensuring everyone has access to healthcare services free at the point of delivery.
The first piece of enabling legislation, the NHI bill, is before the National Council of Provinces, which is expected to pass it next week. The FF+ has asked the human rights commission to follow up on its report, as the office of the health ombudsman is understaffed and overwhelmed with complaints, said Van Staden.
FF+ leader Pieter Groenewald said that the public health system is permeated by a culture of impunity, which will change only when people see action being taken against those who have harmed or neglected patients. “Practical steps must be taken to prevent further human rights violations and prevent further horrors,” he said.
Health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said that the department will study the report, and investigate whether further details are required on certain findings.
“The department would like to remind members of the public of various channels available in health facilities to raise their concerns as and when they experience service-delivery challenges. These include suggestion boxes, which are managed by the relevant authorities to ensure issues are attended to. People can also lodge their complaints directly with facility managers or quality assurance managers,” said Mohale.
The DA has also flagged problems at many public health facilities, and asked the SAHRC and health ombud to investigate conditions at several state hospitals, said health spokesperson Michele Clarke.
These include Witbank Provincial, where “severe shortages of beds, personnel and supplies, medicine stock-outs, maintenance and equipment failures create an unsafe and unsanitary facility”; and OR Tambo Hospital in Boksburg, where foreign mothers-to-be have allegedly been forced to pay bribes to access birthing facilities, she said.
The human rights commission had not responded to Business Day’s request for comment at the time of publication.
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