Residents of the West Rand are urged to refrain from physically assaulting healthcare workers and rather use the correct channels to air their concerns and frustrations, if any.

These were the words of the West Rand District Health Services communications officer Nomagugu Hloma following an incident two months ago during which a healthcare worker was assaulted by a patient at the Bekkersdal West Clinic.

“We’ve had regular incidents where our staff members were attacked by people who were not happy with our services

“Point in case is where a patient threw a chair at one of our members because she was unhappy with the fact that she had been waiting for a long time,” said Hloma who added that should patients be unhappy with the services offered, they should use the correct complaints process to air their grievances.

“We would really love to encourage the community to follow the correct complaints process whenever they have a complaint or an issue that needs to be addressed.

“They can start off by asking to speak to the facility manager, who will be listen to their grievances.

“If they are still not happy with this, then they can always contact the Quality Assurance Unit of the Gauteng Department of Health on 0800 203 886. They can also send an SMS to 36023,” said Hloma who added that they could also be reached on social media platforms.

Those with complaints can send a direct message on Twitter to @ WestRandHealth. Their Facebook page is West Rand District Health Services.