Netcare
reviews and complaints

I am admitted at the new Netcare hospital in Alberton,not seeing the reason why the casualty doctor decided that I need to be admitted if I’m gonna go through the night without my sickness being attended to, only given pain medication. The staff saying they must wait for the doctor to see me the next day,yet they decided to admit me around 1 pm the previous day…they say the doctor prescribed something that will make me sleep and relax until I see him the next day…I don’t think this is fair for patients. Why was I admitted if I’ll suffer the same even in hospital

I am writing about my mum Elizabeth Barsi who was admitted on Wednesday into Linksfield Hospital with a suspected clot. Before being admitted My mom went to the toilet on her own, walked with a walker for half an hour at a time and was on oxygen when not walking.

I phoned on Thursday morning and she was confused (I know when she isn’t on oxygen she is confused so my brother phoned the ward and spoke to a nurse to put her oxygen on! Later that day I asked her if she was drinking enough and she said there is a jug of water but she is not strong enough to open the lid! She has not been out of bed even to sit in a chair at the time of writing this complaint so has now become doubly incontinent - I absolutely despair as these are all basic care practises that should be checked on hourly ! She is supposed to be getting private care - but apart from cleaning her up after she has soiled and wet her bed there seems to be very little ! This all could have been avoided if they just took some time to assist her to the toilet and made sure she was drinking and her oxygen was on at all times. She may be elderly but she is a human being and deserves kindness and care as we pay for this.

I look forward to your reply.

Kathy Cox

My grandmother is at Milpark. She's been attended to by various doctors at this hospital for over 40 years. She is old. 87 years old and is in considerable pain.

She fell a few weeks back and has been in their trauma icu.

The treating doctor has been nothing short of cruel. I completely understand that doctors and nurses work under extreme conditions but surely you cannot enter this profession if you don't care about people.

She has cracked ribs on top a previous injury to her leg so mobility is not possible. They advised that when they are done draining inflammation liquid from her lungs, she would need to go to a rehab facility before coming home.

Two days ago she was transferred to the rehab with 30min notice to the family. AT the rehab, they could not understand how she was transferred as she is far too ill to begin any kind of treatment. Today, she is being transferred back to Milpark and the doctor says he will take her back reluctantly.

So if you are reluctant to take her back, what do you recommend? because you are being unhelpful. not giving the family any prognosis or considerations for care. to what degree is she ill? absolutely nothing helpful and a doctor completely indifferent to her.

You'd think we were asking for a favour and not paying premium fees for private hospital care. I am heartbroken and so furious. I hate to complain because it makes all the good people look bad but this is just shocking treatment. The nurses themselves are indifferent in ICU of all places. always shouting to each other and moving patiently roughly. What is going on?

The nurses, 2 in particular on 13/06/2022, during the evening shift were so rude and reluctant to assist me. My dad had a shoulder surgery and after he woke up from his surgery at around 5pm he asked for water in which he never received. I arrived at 7pm to visit him and he told me he's been waiting for a nurse to bring him water, I then decided to the front to ask for water, I was greeted by a blank stare by one of the nurses. She then asked me if I came with the cup to pour water in and I said no. Other patients had jugs of water and a decent glass next to their bed sides but I'm asked if I have a cup to pour water in. Second incident is when I asked for a nurse in charge of the ward cause my dad was in so much pain and asked me to call the nurse to give him pain killers. I went to the front and again I was greeted with a blank stare and the nurse infront said she doesn't know who is in charge, then another nurse arrived and said I can ask any nurse in the ward for assistance and actually ordered the one who gave me attitude to assist me. The nurse took her sweet time, she walked in the ward and assisted another patient then I asked her if she's still going to give my dad painkillers and she answered me so rudely that she's coming back with the painkillers. Third incident my dad spilled water on his sheets, and I asked one of the nurses to please change the sheets cause they are wet, then she rudely told me that they follow a routine and the sheets will be changed when the time comes, then I emphasized to her that my dad can't lie on wet sheets, then the nurse went to the front and started telling the other nurse that I'm ordering her to change sheets, they laughed about it and came back and changed the sheets, when they were done they just walked out without confirming or helping my dad back up on the bed. I read between the lines and helped him back in bed. Finally, I was about to leave and my dad wanted to sleep so I asked for an extra blanket cause it was cold, to my disbelief I had to security guards to escourt me out of the ward.

I took my daughter to the hospital around 6pm,waited when I got to evaluation room a patient who was already there was chatting to the sister about her aunt who passed on because they knew each other they took very long there, no sense of urgency in that hospital... Then I waited for my daughter to be assisted till 21:00 at the consultation room while we were waiting the Dr who was I. Was a black Dr who assisted other patients who were after us, there was another white Dr or Indian I think she came to ask if the Dr will be fine alone he said yes n the lady asked if he is sure he said yes... After full 3hrs of waiting asked them to cancel our transaction if we were dying we could have died already no use of waiting no body comes to us n explain what's going on everybody is just up n down minding their business... I spoke to the black Dr n he told me he can't refuse me leaving I can fill up a form n leave... Netcare service is pathetic its no different from public but better public its for free... It was on the 23rd May 2022 I got there at 6pm left at 21:00

Worst service at a emergency unit ever! Netcare management need to try and be a patient and see the BAD service! Just to get a file, 2 hours(only 5 people in front of you) Also RUDE.

And the cherry on the cake, if you know the registered nurse on duty, you called to the front and see dr 1st. And yes we know if it’s an emergency you will be seen 1st. But this wasn’t done after the scanning and the pt was told to join the line. So this shows the pt wasn’t sicker than my husband!

The worst experience ever at Netcare Garden City, my daughter was taken to hospital this morning 04 May 2022 by paramedics from her school at 11:30 and we only left the hospital now at 22:00. Garden City Netcare is exactly the same as the government hospitals in South Africa useless and inconsiderate towards people. The amount of lies from hospital staff shows the unethical methods they will allow. Firstly they say we need to wait 1 hour for the blood results. When I left the hospital to take my younger kids home, my husband stayed behind with my daughter and they told him that he will now have to wait 2 hours for the blood results. Eventually my husband discovered that something is fishy and the file was missing, no bloods was ever done. So he was waiting so long for no reason. Until he made a noise than only they took bloods and wanted to "make as if they care". The Dr that supposed to be of assistance was Dr. B Nkosi and he lied to us about blood results which never happened. I want everyone to know that the kind of service that people are receiving from Garden city does not even deserve any rating or star. I should have taken my daughter to another hospital by driving out of my area perhaps I would have received something better. Plus I am awaiting the bill so I can expose them even further...

I went in to Netcare Milpark Hospital on Jan 8th at around 23:30, because I could not stop vomitting. When I got there is could barely speak from the nausea but I answered the questions I needed to answer about personal details and payment details. The man helping named "Patrick" filled in and I went on to get assistance. He explained to me what I amount I would be paying and where they go. Not ONCE did he mention a deposit.

Weeks later I'm receiving emails from a "Musa" that I need to pay a certain amount to Netcare. When I try email I get ZERO response for almost two weeks. Today I phoned to find out what it's all about and the man was very unhelpful telling me that "It says here on the screen that he told you that the payment was just a deposit". While I kept trying to explain that I would not be phoning if I knew he just kept repeating himself to me. And eventually said, "Well then take it up with the hospital". No compassion. Treating me like I'm crazy.

Not to mention that the nurses in triage found it funny when I had said I'm not sure what I'm even throwing up anymore. They giggled and said "It's bile".

I'm disgusted with the level of customer service at the Netcare Milpark Hospital and the Netcare group at large.

I have included names for the sake of the issues being resolved. And judging from the complaints I have seen, there are MANY issues at this hospital.

I received a link to complete an online pre-admissions process the day before my daughter’s procedure. I took the time to complete this process with the hope of it saving me time on the day.

That was high hopes! I reached Netcare waterfall hospital at 6am on the day of the procedure only to find about 10 patients in line for admission with ONE out of the four admission consultants only working. Each patient took about 25min to complete their process.

Why does Netcare waste people’s time doing an online admission and still then have to sit in almost a min of 180min on the day! Surely this could be quicker.

In addition, why are they not operating at full capacity when many of the normal medical procedures have now carried on?

Got chased out of the hospital never even signed a discharged form I am still in pain, just because I got so evidence on how disgusting the toilet is and my infection became worst I am fed up with head office reported 5 matters last year not one was solved this hospital is the only hospital in kroonstad we need some people to investigate I have lots of information that I'll give you if one call just call me.

I complained because are leaking basins are dirty and spiderwebs everywhere in the room. I had a drip on and what if I had to slip en fall of the water on the floor. Sies it's very disgusting how it looks at that hospital for a private section.

Regards

Jessica van wyk

Lorna Clifton-Smith, my mother has been in Millpark for the past 3 weeks. She has been in Neuro ICU 1 for 2 weeks and only two days ago moved to Section 9 Oncology.
While in Neuro ICU, Bed 7, I brought her a blanket from home, fluffy beige one, and when she was moved from ICU to Section 9 he blanket is no where to be found. I have taken this up with the Oncology ward, they don't care to help. I have escalated it to Matron of ICU, still waiting, I have asked them to check with Laundry and Linen departement, no feedback. I have asked them to check the cameras, and I have received no feedback. Stealing a blanket from a dying patient is shocking ! Please revert, Thank you Janine Milton [protected]

Yesterday I had the most unfortunate experience of having to take someone to Sunninghill clinic casualty. While the paramedics admitted my nephew and his cousin to casualty, my brother, his sister in-law and myself went around to the front of the hospital to go inside and fill forms and wait. The staff at the entrance were rude and grumpy and would not allow us into the hospital not even to go to the toilet. I was directed to a portable toilet in the car park, The toilet was very smelly and had no toilet paper. After my brother and his sister in-law filled in the forms inside the hospital, they made us sit outside in the rain outside the emergency entrance to the casualty where we were in the way of the paramedics. There was very little shelter from the rain. We waited there for about three and a half hours. Not once did anyone come outside to let us know what was happening. We tried once again to go inside to find out what was happening and to get out of the rain. There was a new person at the door who was even more rude and condescending. We were still not allowed inside.
I will never go back to Sunninghill if I can possibly help it and I will recommend the same to everyone I know. I cannot believe that businesses in South Africa can get away with dealing with paying clients this way let alone business in the health sector were clients are suffering some type of trauma and the purpose of the business is to be supportive and helpful.

My father is in the hospital in surgical ICU 1 at Milpark. We are having to phone multiple times during the day to get feedback.

The phones don't get answered and the doctor doesn't get back to us.
Since we are not allowed to come and visit, the communication from the hospital should be tripled! We are sitting in the dark, not knowing what is happening.

The ICU nurses give us a tiny amount of information and the doctor never phones!
My father is apparently very disorientated so he can't phone us to keep us informed. The hospital should be doing this.

We need to know what is happening. The lack of communication is disgusting and causing the family and my father great stress.

Good day

Poor horrible service at union hospital tonite 02 Dec 2021. The nurse who was on duty chased my husband away when he went in with a dislocated shoulder. When he said he was in pain and agony she asked him what must she do as she is busy with another patient after he was told by other staff to cut the queue.He left and drove to Clinton hospital who assisted him immediately. Tired of people who are employed in jobs that they have no passion for. Tired of nurses who pledged to help who have rotten attitudes

Stay away from Umhlanga hospital! Admin is pathetic and hospital is dirty

Netcare union hospital, Why are you treating your cleaners and porters like this?How do you expect them to come to work on daily basis with you paying.The money is not much but you still rob them off those peanut.media involvement underway.

My mother, aged 74 is diabetic and has broken bones in her feet which has caused major infections leaving her bed-ridden.
She was booked into Mulbarton Hospital on Thursday evening (7th October) and is awaiting surgery to clean out her wounds (which is to take place on Tuesday).
She is unable to stand and walk so has to wait for assistance from nursing staff (in Section D) to bring her a bed-pan. After calling for a bed-pan a number of times on Saturday morning, she could no longer hold it in and messed in the bed, trying to hold everything with the plastic wound-sheet. When the nurse eventually arrived with a bed-pan, my mother apologised and told her she had been calling for assistance. The nurse just told her to hold the plastic wound-sheet in place (by her bum) and try get some sleep and she would see to her later. The same morning, the staff gave her a wash in the bed, and rubbed her face so rough with the towel, that when I went to visit her, her one eye was red and seeping.
This same situation happened to her at Mulbarton hospital a few months ago. When the nursing staff cleaned her, they had to re-insert her catheter but never cleaned it properly beforehand, resulting in a very bad bladder infection, which she is still struggling with (+ 2 months later). That visit resulted in her begging the Dr to discharge her and threatened to jump out the window if he didn't.
It is absolutely disgusting that a lady has to lie in her own feces. My mother was so frustrated, that she told the nurses she wants to be discharged until the Dr is ready to operate.
Please, please, please can something be done? We understand that the nurses are very busy but why does someone who can't get out of bed have to beg forever before someone gets to them. They have the time to come see what she is calling for them, but then take their time getting back to her.

We felt that we needed to bring to your attention that we are extremely unhappy with the care that our mom, Maria Rosa, has had while in the care of the nurses on the ward since her surgery on Tuesday. We understand that due to the pandemic things have changed but when we brought our mom into Christian Barnard with all the high expectations we find it highly unacceptable that our mom has been treated in the way that she has. We have been lied to about her progress by the nurses stating that she has been walking around, but found this to be very untrue after speaking to our mom.

The incident mentioned above was when I came to the hospital to discuss the second procedure that now needed to be done and the sister holding my moms hand said "Mrs. Rosa, we missed you today as you did not walk to see us at the nurses station." I could see straight away that my mom was not sure what the sister was talking about. I asked her if she had been walking around and my mom clearly stated that for the past four days she had not gotten up at all to walk around because she was in such agony. This felt to me that it was a pretense of what should have been happening, but clearly had not been. this to me was a blatant lie and cover up of the mistreatment my mom had received. I expected so much more of the nurses.

If there was transparency and proper feedback given to both the family and the doctor we possibly could have found and treated the issue in her bowel much soon ensuring that my mom was not in as much pain and agony as she was in.

The expectation we had when coming to an out of network hospital was extremely high and were happy to make certain sacrifices to get what we thought was the best pre and post-operative care. What we have experienced however has been completely different.

The Christian Barnard core values state the following "Our core values is CARE. We care about the DIGNITY of our patients and all members of the Netcare family. We care about the participation of our people and our partners in everything that we do. We engage everyone with empathy and respond with acts of COMPASSION in all interactions with our patients and their families."

This has far from been our experience with this hospital and the staff that have been dealing with the post-surgery care of our mom.

We are trying to be empathetic to the to the situation the pandemic has caused but please understand that from our point of view this is completely deplorable.

We will not allow our mom to be placed back into the same surgical ward when she comes out of ICU as we feel it could be detrimental to her health and mental wellbeing.

Even more alarming than that is the incident from this morning (4th October 2021) in ICU where my mom is being stripped of her DIGNITY. When asking to be assisted to get up and use the bathroom she is bluntly ignored and nurses continue talking to each other and dismissing her numerous request. Is this the service patients receive in at ICU in your Netcare hospital. This whole incident is despicable!

In closing we would like to say that this is not just about the poor service and care we have received for my mom and as a family, but there to be change instituted so that future patients receive the care and attention that is so clearly stated in the Christian Barnard Core values.

I would urgently request that this complaint be looked into immediately as this whole situation is devastating to my mom as well as us a family.

Kind regards

Dina De Sousa Rosa / Nicole De Sousa

I was scheduled for a hysterectomy at on the 28 Sept 2021 at 8 am in the morning which eventually happened at 16:30 pm in the afternoon. Everything in the hospital was either dirty had to be borrowed or not working. My drip had to be changed 3 times because it kept popping out leaving blood all over, this happened in a period of 3 days .

After waiting 5 hours to be operated.I was picked up by the porter just to find out my bed was not working (wheels). I had to get out of my current bed into another bed and waited fir another 2 hours being operated, laying in front of a busy lift opening and closing. A few meters away group of employees watching TV and having bread to eat, obviously having lunch time conversations. Just laying there in the noise.

After my surgery I was bumped a few times coming out of theatre and hurt coming out of surgery still being drowsy from the anesthetic.I screamed in agony but they kept on bumping into walls where ever they went. The doors are chipped all over the hospital because of the beds being hit against the doors and Enterances. The bed sheets are dirty and stale even when the bedding is being changed . Sheets and olsvebnaes are pulled uprubtly, rough and without care under you and you hse to constantly remind the nurses that they are hurting you. The have absolutely no care for their patients. The ward is noisy 24 hours because the nurses are making a noise, having conversations, screaming while standing in the room next to your bedside in the hallway in groups.

Ignore when being called with the bed side device. I called 6 times at a go when I finally got up and helped my self after surgery they were all standing and talking while the ringer went off ignoring the sound. Water is not being refreshed. Toilets are filty and outside of the room down the hallway. The toilet door does not work and heavy to open. So walking with the drip in pain and a weight put in front of the door so that the door does not close means I have to get pass the weight laying on the floor, push and keep the heavy door open and pull the drip.

No coffee, tea or anything is offered and the nurses are constantly in front of the mirror putting lip gloss or fixing their hair in the bathroom in groups or just standing and chatting ignoring buzzers that are going off. Nails are dirty and can see the filth underneath te acrylic nails.

This happened at Geranium ward. I do not understand why my after care of the procedure was in a general ward with 6 beds and a bath room facility outside and far. My bed was right next to the ward bin and basin. There was constant traffic.

Sunninghill Hospital should not be considered as a private hospital. My experience was horrible.

Hi - My Son was in Netcare Blaauwberg and there were various tests done and one among them was done by Lizel Kotze and the office submitted the Outstanding to Discovery.

Now, my error or something discovery paid the amount to my account and did not make the payment to Lizel Kotze, and Lizel Kotze office never reached out to be regarding the outstanding amount, but they sent it for collection to Lexmed.

In March I received an email from Lexmed asking for payment, and then I reached out to Netcare because they only mentioned Netcare and did not mention what was done and why I am liable to pay, because I have no idea about it and I received a response from Netcare that I do not have any outstanding.

So not Lizel Kotze's admin is asking me to settle it with Lexmed, when I was never informed about any outstanding. Also I am trying to make every effort to settle what I am liable for, but I am not ready to pay the interest and extra admin charges they adding to the account, hence request you to please discuss with Lizel Kotze admin and help to settle the initial amount