Gauteng hospitals record over 7,000 serious medical errors as weak oversight leaves patients at risk

Thousands of patients have suffered harm and even death in Gauteng’s public hospitals due to poor care and preventable medical errors.

The province recorded that from 1 April 2024 to 31 March this year, there were a staggering 7,386 serious adverse events, up from the previous year’s 7,117.

The statistics reveal a public and private healthcare system in crisis, and healthcare professionals are overwhelmed, says Johann Roux, Medical Law Attorney at JR Attorneys.

“I think we've got quite a problem with patient caseload. Along with India, we've got the highest number of trauma cases in the world. And if you compare India's population, it's like 1.5 billion compared to our 60 million.

“The more patients you see per doctor, the higher the chances that there would be negligence."

Roux says that South Africa’s weak regulations and poor complaints system mean that healthcare workers who do cause harm are rarely held responsible.

One case involved a patient losing an arm after a doctor took seven hours to respond to a nurse’s urgent call about a poorly placed drip.

“No disciplinary action was taken against that doctor, who is still working there, and this happened two years ago."

In a separate case, a child died after a routine tonsillectomy because a bleed wasn’t acted upon immediately.

“The HPCSA, unfortunately, seems to be inefficient in dealing with patient case loads, the complaints that get lodged, and that's definitely a big vacuum in South Africa,” he says.

To listen to Roux in conversation with 702’s Bongani Bingwa, click below: