Concerns are rising over patient safety in Gauteng’s public health system after more than 7,000 serious adverse incidents were recorded in the last financial year. The cases which include infections, falls, medical accidents and instances of self-harm highlight what experts say is a deepening crisis in the province’s hospitals.
Dr Aslam Dasoo of the Progressive Health Forum says the trend reflects a “steady deterioration” in the healthcare system, noting that the state’s escalating medico-legal claims mirror the growing pattern of negligence.
While individual doctors are sometimes to blame, Dasoo argues many are working under “extreme pressure,” with overwhelming caseloads forcing staff to cut corners particularly in poorly managed facilities where conditions are rapidly declining.
“There’s enough blame to go around,” he said. “Let’s be honest about this. The public health system as a whole has been under pressure.”
Dasoo emphasised that the public sector operates as a large, integrated system, and the spike in adverse events must be understood within that broader context. He says the quality of care has been consistently eroded, largely because of chronic staff shortages and thousands of unfilled posts, leaving too few professionals to manage rising patient numbers.
Despite the strain, Dasoo insists South Africa’s healthcare workers remain highly skilled.
“The problem is not in the training,” he said, “but in how their work is applied within this failing system.”