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Patients Died Waiting for Help: Ombud Lifts Lid on Hospital Failures in SA
Health Ombud Uncovers Deadly Failings in Public and Private Care
Trust in South Africa’s healthcare system has been shaken once again. The Health Ombud has released a hard-hitting report confirming that preventable harm, including deaths, occurred at hospitals in Limpopo and Johannesburg. The findings point to a painful truth. Whether you are relying on the public or private system, patient safety cannot be taken for granted.
These investigations examined two very different cases. Yet both revealed a worrying pattern of delays, poor oversight, and clinical negligence that no family should ever experience.
A family’s heartbreak in Limpopo
In November 2024, the Ramphele family faced an unimaginable loss. Pitsi Eliphuz Ramphele, nephew of respected activist and academic Dr Mamphela Ramphele, arrived at Rethabile Community Health Centre with severe abdominal pain. This should have triggered urgent medical attention. Instead, he waited almost four hours before receiving a patient file.
By mid-afternoon, he was told a doctor would see him, only for staff to later say no doctor was available. Security then instructed him to leave without treatment. In total, he waited around eight hours. That is far beyond national response standards for emergency care.
The shock deepened when the investigation found that two nurses falsified medical records. Notes were backdated to hide their failure to treat him, and even a standard operating procedure appeared to have been forged. The Nursing Council is now expected to take action.
Ramphele was eventually admitted to Pietersburg Provincial Tertiary Hospital, where his condition continued to deteriorate. Despite signs of a severe bowel obstruction, he went without a medical review for 21 hours. Warning symptoms were ignored, and incorrect dietary advice made things worse. A postmortem later confirmed bowel perforations and fatal septic shock. The Ombud stated clearly that with proper care and timely surgery, he could still be alive today.
Tragedy in a private hospital
Johannesburg’s respected Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre might seem a safer environment thanks to its advanced facilities and specialist expertise. Yet the Ombud’s findings show that even a polished exterior can hide dangerous shortcuts.
In March 2021, Dr Edward Mabubula attended the hospital as an outpatient to have his chemotherapy port flushed. It is a simple procedure, a routine for cancer patients. Moments after standing up from the chair, he collapsed. A CT scan later showed a cerebral air embolism. Despite treatment, he suffered a stroke and seizures and died from complications in June.
For his family, the most painful revelation was that no outpatient file or assessment had ever been recorded. The hospital was relying on a 15-year-old courtesy arrangement with specialists that allowed procedures to go undocumented. This lack of basic patient registration meant critical information was missing at the most urgent moment.
The Ombud has ordered major reforms and recommended mediation over the family’s call for compensation.
A wake-up call for the entire healthcare sector
These cases reveal two extremes within the same system. Public hospitals struggle with staff shortages, missing equipment, and ethical breaches. Private facilities, though better resourced, sometimes rely on informal practices that compromise safety. Patients are let down in both settings.
South Africans are also expressing outrage online. Many say the findings confirm concerns they have raised for years about inconsistent standards and long waiting times. Others are asking how many more stories remain unheard.
The Ombud’s reports serve as a reminder. Behind every policy or protocol is a person who simply wants to get well and go home. Accountability is not optional. Lives depend on it.
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Source: IOL
Featured Image: OECD
