Category: Media Releases

Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) joins the global community today in commemorating World Patient Safety Day 2025, under the theme “Safe care for every newborn and every child”. This year’s focus serves as a reminder to all stakeholders that ensuring the safety of our youngest patients is a fundamental right and a shared responsibility across the health system.
Newborns and children, just as adults, should receive healthcare that is safe, of high quality, and free from preventable harm. Unfortunately, unsafe healthcare worldwide and locally continues to cause illness, disability, and even death of children.
As the regulatory authority responsible for protecting healthcare service users by ensuring compliance with norms and standards regulations, the OHSC is committed to ensuring that healthcare providers maintain the highest levels of healthcare services and accountability. The OHSC continues to uphold its commitment to oversee compliance with quality standards by conducting inspections. Additionally, the OHSC provides ongoing support to healthcare providers in health establishments through guidance and support workshops.
The OHSC promotes a culture of openness, learning, and accountability to prevent avoidable harm through interactions with stakeholders in the sector. Furthermore, the OHSC engages with communities to raise awareness of patient safety rights and responsibilities during community engagement initiatives.
Children are our future; providing safe care for newborns and children is not optional but a legal, ethical, and moral obligation. The OHSC will continue to work with healthcare providers, policymakers, and the public to ensure that every child in South Africa has access to healthcare that is safe.
On this World Patient Safety Day, the Office of Health Standards Compliance calls on all stakeholders to prioritise the safety of our youngest citizens. Together, we can transform healthcare services and health establishments into safe spaces for every child, every time.

For Immediate Release

10 September 2025

To All Editors and Health Journalists

INAUGURAL HEALTH OMBUDSMAN CONFERENCE 2025 HIGHLIGHTS HEALTH AND HEALTHCARE AS A HUMAN RIGHT

Pretoria.

The Health Ombud is set to convene its first-ever conference to be held on 11 and 12
September 2025 at the Emperors Palace Conference Centre in Kempton Park, Johannesburg. This
conference coincides with the commemoration of World Patient Safety Day, which closely aligns
with the Health Ombud’s mandate to safeguard the quality and safety of healthcare services for
all users.

The upcoming biennial conference will bring together healthcare professionals, policymakers,
regulators, academics, and members of civil society under the theme “Health and Healthcare as
a Human Right.” The event promises to deliver a high-quality and impactful event, featuring
discussions that will focus on healthcare as a constitutional right. Participants will share insights on
strengthening oversight to create a health system that is accessible, fair, and accountable.

The two-day programme will include a keynote address by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron
Motsoaledi (MP). It will feature in-depth open dialogue sessions and presentations that focus on
various factors affecting access to safe and quality healthcare services. Additionally, discussions
will cover the contribution of the private healthcare industry and funders towards achieving
universal access to healthcare in South Africa.

Speaking ahead of the conference, the Health Ombud, Emeritus Professor Taole Mokoena,
emphasised, “This conference serves as a vital platform to reflect on our progress, challenges, and
opportunities in ensuring that healthcare is recognised not as a privilege, but as a fundamental
human right. Our goal is to foster collective commitment to a patient-centred health system that
upholds dignity, fairness, and justice.”

The inaugural conference reaffirms the Health Ombud’s mandate to safeguard the public’s right
to health, promote a safe and ethical healthcare service, and drive continuous improvement in
the quality of care across the healthcare system.

Media are invited to cover the event. For accreditation, please email Ntombizodwa Kobuwe
nkobuwe@ohsc.org.za or visit the Health Ombud or OHSC websites on www.healthombud.org.za
or www.ohsc.org.za for more information.

Ends.

Issued by the Health Ombud.

Media Enquiries:
Ricardo Mahlakanya – Cell: 066 473 8666

Approved_Media Statement_Inaugural Health Ombud Conference 2025

Media Statement_International Nurses Day 2025 _12 May

OHSC BOARD EXPRESSES CONCERNS OVER PATIENT SAFETY FOLLOWING FIRE OUTBREAK AT TEMBISA PROVINCIAL TERTIARY HOSPITAL

As a health services regulator, tasked with monitoring and protecting the health and safety of healthcare services users, the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) Board and management have noted with great concern reports of repeated incidents of fire outbreaks at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital, which could place patient and staff safety at risk.

These incidents have raised significant alarms about safety protocols and emergency preparedness, highlighting the urgent need for a comprehensive assessment of the facility to ensure the safety of patients, visitors, staff and other occupants of the Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital premises.

All health establishments must prioritise the safety and security of patients, especially during emergencies. Health establishments must ensure that the systems comply with health regulations and foster a safe environment for everyone in their care.

The OHSC will be dispatching a team of inspectors to conduct a Risk- Based Inspection as a fact-finding action to establish circumstances surrounding the two fire incidences, the hospital management’s immediate response and actions taken and the effectiveness of existing safety measures in preventing recurrence thereof. Risk-based inspections are specifically triggered and conducted on an ad hoc basis in response to identified risks at heath facilities.

Considering that the winter season is already on, this inspection will enable the OHSC to establish possible root causes, and to make informed recommendations that are aimed at mitigating the risk of fire incidences at health facilities.

The OHSC urges all healthcare facilities and providers to regularly review their safety protocols and emergency response plans to avoid similar occurrences and ensure that the integrity of the healthcare system and the protection of the users of health services are maintained.

End.

Media Enquiries:
Ricardo Mahlakanya
Director: Communication and Stakeholder Relations and Spokesperson
066 473 8666 / rmahlakanya@ohsc.org.za

Download statement here: MEDIA STATEMENT_OHSC BOARD EXPRESS CONCERNS OVER PATIENT SAFETY FOLLOWING FIRE OUTBREAK AT TEMBISA REGIONAL HOSPITAL

For Immediate Release
24 October 2024

Highlights: Office of Health Standards Compliance 2023/24 Annual Performance Report Pretoria – The Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) presented its Annual Performance Report for the 2023/24 financial year to the Health Portfolio Committee. This report highlights the progress in implementing the entity’s Annual Performance Plan for 2023/24, based on the OHSC’s Strategic Plan for 2020-2025. The report allows the OHSC to evaluate its successes and areas for improvement. The OHSC is an independent health regulator established under the National Health Act of 2013. Its purpose is to oversee health establishments in South Africa, ranging from major hospitals and clinics to independent practices of doctors and other health professionals providing safe and quality healthcare services.

Compliance Inspection Analysis

As the regulatory body for health services, the OHSC protects and promotes health service users’ health and safety by conducting routine and additional inspections to assess whether various healthcare establishments comply with norms and, standards regulations. In this reporting period, the OHSC conducted 734 routine inspections at public health establishments and 60 at private acute establishments. Health establishments that achieved compliance status post-inspection were issued certificates of compliance, while those that were non-compliant received compliance notices outlining the necessary steps and timeframes for improvements. The OHSC’s role in ensuring safe and quality health services provisioning by health establishments contributes significantly to implementing the National Health Insurance (NHI). Obtaining an OHSC certificate of compliance is a prerequisite for health establishments to receive accreditation and contract with the NHI Fund.

Certification and Enforcement Analysis

The OHSC implemented several enforcement interventions in response to non-compliant health establishments. The OHSC registered a significant increase in the certification rate during the reporting period compared to the previous financial years. During this review period, 618 certificates of compliance were issued to health establishments that met the norms and standards regulations: 501 from routine inspections and 117 from re-inspections. The Certificate of Compliance is valid forfour years and must be renewed. According to Regulation 19, health establishments must apply to the OHSC to renew their compliance certificates no more than six months before the certificate expires.

Enforcement actions were taken against establishments that remained consistently non-compliant after re-inspection. As a result, 45 establishments received written warnings. A written warning is an enforcement action issued by the OHSC under Regulation 23 to individuals in charge for failing to address breaches of the norms and standards specified in the Compliance Notice issued by an OHSC inspector.

To strengthen the enforcement of the OHSC’s policy, the Office has introduced a pre-enforcement consultation process. This includes meetings with district health authorities and CEOs of public and private hospitals scheduled for re-inspections after non-compliance. Health establishments must present their remedial measures, discuss challenges to compliance, and share their readiness for re-inspection

Monitoring of Prescribed Norms and Standards

The OHSC’s core function as a healthcare regulator is rooted in the norms and standards for the national health system established by the Minister of Health. The OHSC continuously develops inspection tools for various levels of care based on these regulations through a consultative process involving relevant stakeholders. During this reporting period, the OHSC finalised inspection tools for central and provincial tertiary hospitals, piloted with inputs from health establishments before finalisation. Additionally, annual updates for inspection tools for clinics, community health centers, district hospitals, regional hospitals, and private acute hospitals have been completed. To further enhance quality and safety in the healthcare sector, the OHSC issued three recommendation reports during this period. The reports issued include the National Early Warning System, National Annual Returns recommendations, and others addressing identified gaps in the Eastern Cape province with suggestions for improvement.

Overall Annual Performance Analysis

The OHSC achieved an overall performance rating of 69.6% and received an unqualified audit outcome from the Auditor-General of South Africa. This positive audit opinion was made possible by ongoing improvements in internal controls, the institutionalization of good governance, policy reviews, and continuous monitoring of implementation. Total revenue increased by 2%, from R160,847,649 in 2022/23 to R164,449,593 in 2023/24. Meanwhile, total expenditure decreased from R187,212,951 in 2022/23 to R183,892,113 in 2023/24—a 2% reduction. Of the total expenditure, 58% was allocated to core functions, while support functions accounted for 42%. The entity maintained a vacancy rate of 4.55%, equating to six vacancies out of 132 funded positions. Ends.

Pretoria. As the global health community and the world at large commemorate International Nurses Day, the Office of the Health Standard Compliance (OHSC), the regulator of healthcare services, joins in recognising and acknowledging the commitment and dedication of all nurses. This year’s International Nurses’ Day is celebrated under the theme “Our Nurses, Our Future. The Economic Power of Care”, as set by the International Council of Nurses (ICN). The Council set out the economic power of care, which creates healthy people and societies and drives healthy economies. Nurses are critical stakeholders of the OHSC; the entity shares the fraternity’s belief that investing in people leads to a healthy workplace, communities, and economies, all promoting economic and health security.

Nurses play a crucial role in creating a safe and healthy healthcare environment. With this considered, the OHSC will continue to work with nurses and other health professionals to ensure quality and safety in healthcare across all health sectors.
“Today, we celebrate our nurses for the invaluable role they play in improving the lives of our communities and their incredible power of care that heals our families; our nurses remain at the forefront when it comes to diagnosing and treating the numerous ailments that our communities encounter,” stated Dr Siphiwe Mndaweni, OHSC Chief Executive Officer, in observance of this day. As the regulator of the healthcare sector, the OHSC appreciates and thanks all the nurses for their resilience and compassion in health sectors.

ENDS.

Issued by the Office of Health Standards Compliance.

For media inquiries, please contact Mr. Ricardo Mahlakanya on 066 473 8666.

Media Statement International Nurses Day 2024