KZN Health Department calls for official channels for medical complaints

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health is sending a clarion call to the public, urging individuals to refrain from airing medical grievances on social media platforms.

The department appealed to the public to use official complaint mechanisms and protect patient privacy.

The department said it was important because: 

1. Patient privacy and dignity: Publicly sharing medical details strips patients of their fundamental rights to privacy, dignity, and confidentiality. Not every patient consents to having their health struggles broadcast worldwide. 
2. Doctor-patient confidentiality: The department is legally and ethically bound by strict doctor-patient privacy laws (e.g., the Health Professions Act). They cannot and will not publicly discuss patient files or specific medical cases to counter social media claims. Doing so would violate their legal obligations and betray patient trust.  
3. Medical complexity: Human physiology and medical treatments are highly complex. What may appear concerning or negligent to a layperson is often standard, scientifically grounded practice (e.g., managing complex wounds, specialised nutritional support, or medically-induced fasting). Years of specialised training equip healthcare professionals to make these nuanced decisions.  
4. Harm of misinformation: Public speculation based on incomplete understanding fuels misinformation, damages institutional reputations built on expertise, and causes distress to vulnerable patients and their families.  

The department said it has robust, confidential complaint mechanisms designed to address concerns without compromising patient privacy or dignity:  

1. Start locally: Raise your concern with the sister-in-charge of the ward.  
2. Escalate internally: If unresolved, contact the hospital’s Public Relations Officer (PRO).  
3. Hospital leadership: Next, approach the Hospital CEO.  
4. District level: Escalate further to the District Health Office.  
5. Final provincial escalation: If still unresolved, contact the Health MEC’s office.

PRO, CEO, and district directors’ contact details are displayed on notice boards in all health facilities. 

The department’s appeal:

• Respect patient privacy: Never share identifiable patient details or medical information on social media.  
• Trust the process: Understand that complex medical situations require specialised expertise. Trust the professionals.  
• Use official channels: Our internal mechanisms exist to investigate and resolve concerns confidentially, respectfully, and effectively, protecting all involved.  
• Refrain from public speculation: Avoid simplifying or misrepresenting complex medical situations online.  

Speaking on the department’s KZN Health Chat multimedia programme in Durban recently, Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane stated that if someone complains that ‘health workers don’t work or that nurses are useless’, they cannot investigate that matter. It helps to know which facility, at what time, and which nurse did what. If the nurse’s name is unknown, the time is pertinent. 

“We are addressing this in two ways: fixing the issues for those affected and preventing future occurrences,” Simelane said. 

“We ask the public to cooperate in this matter. If there is a problem, contact us.”

Simelane also urged the public to treat health-care workers well. 

“You can’t come to the hospital, and they say, ‘here is the line, please wait here’, and you tell them of your importance.”

Simelane said health-care workers have a way of working. 

“We need to respect them because we also expect them to respect us as a community. That cooperation is very important.” 

She added: “We ask our people, even if you know that I was sick, I was in the hospital, and I was not treated well. We ask people to treat someone’s illness with dignity.” 

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