Johannesburg
1Min
South Africa
Dec 4, 2025
The Health Ombud’s investigations reveal shocking failures in public and private hospitals, including avoidable deaths, falsified records and neglect. Findings at Limpopo and Johannesburg facilities highlight systemic risks to patient safety and underscore urgent need for accountability and reform.
The Health Ombud has exposed serious clinical and ethical breaches at hospitals in Limpopo and Johannesburg, revealing preventable patient harm and systemic failures in both public and private healthcare facilities.
In Limpopo, investigations at Rethabile Community Health Centre and Pietersburg Provincial Tertiary Hospital found that a patient, Pitsi Eliphuz Ramphele, died after being left unattended despite severe abdominal pain. At the community centre, he waited hours for a patient file, and no doctor examined him. Security staff reportedly directed him to leave before he received treatment.
At the tertiary hospital, Ramphele went 21 hours without proper medical review. Critical warning signs were ignored, and he was incorrectly advised to start a soft diet. A post‑mortem confirmed bowel perforations leading to septic shock, which the Ombud said could have been prevented.
Further scrutiny revealed that two nurses at Rethabile allegedly falsified records to conceal their inaction, backdating notes and forging documents. They have been referred to the regulatory authority for nurses.
At Wits Donald Gordon Medical Centre in Johannesburg, the Ombud found that a cancer patient, Edward Mabubula, died from a cerebral air embolism following a routine chemotherapy port flush. The procedure was not documented, and informal “courtesy arrangements” had allowed the hospital to bypass registration and proper patient assessment for 15 years.
Although Mabubula’s death was officially attributed to cancer, specialists confirmed a strong link between the procedure and his death. The hospital has been ordered to implement formal protocols and ensure full documentation for all patients.
The Ombud noted that these cases highlight failures across the healthcare spectrum. In public hospitals, resource shortages, poor supervision and unethical practices put patients at risk. In private facilities, informal procedures and shortcuts created lethal hazards despite available resources.
Regulatory bodies have been alerted. The nurses in Limpopo face investigation, and doctors involved are referred to statutory authorities. The private hospital is required to overhaul protocols, and families are being considered for mediation and compensation.
