Service complaints should be lodged before you leave hospital – Dept

POLOKWANE – Following a recent spate of incidents at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital which left patients unhappy, BONUS contacted the Department of Health to find out how patients can go about lodging complaints.

Department of Health Spokesperson, Derick Kganyago, urged residents who were unhappy with service they received at the hospital to contact the managers on duty and to not leave the hospital until the complaint had been resolved.

Among the recent incidents residents encountered while at the hospital included a woman with a torn lip after a dental procedure and a patient who had to provide her own equipment to be treated for a suspected spider bite.

Ilse Botes visited the hospital due to a toothache and was reportedly told to “hang on to the chair” when she complained to the dentist that the procedure was sore. “After the operation I was told there was a complication and that I had to get stitches on the side of my mouth which was torn during the procedure,” she told BONUS.

Kganyago said the department was not aware of these complaints as there were no reports made to hospital management. He urged residents to look for notifications posted in the hospital about who to contact if they have complaints so the matters can be addressed immediately.

“The management have been put in place to address and resolve complaints people might have.

Specially made boards are placed all over the hospital to assist people to report issues to the relevant people and we urge them to not leave the hospital without doing so. If the people you report the matter to are unable to assist you, the matter will be referred to the Department of Health to clear up. Help us to sort the problems out for you,” he said.

Numbers where complaints can be made:

• Nursing Management (015) 287 5012.

• Clinical Management 079 496 9996.

• Quality office (015) 287 5066/5270.

• Chief Executive Officer 082 042 6659.

riana@nmgroup.co.za