Despite widespread complaints of poor staff attitudes in Gauteng hospitals, Gauteng Health and Wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko claims the “I Serve with a Smile Campaign” is a complete success.
She makes this comment in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
According to the MEC, the campaign was launched in November last year, with the aim “to enhance patient care by fostering empathy, compassion, and positive service attitudes among healthcare workers.”
The monitoring and evaluation of the campaign is done “by tracking feedback from both patients and healthcare staff, focusing on key performance indicators such as patient satisfaction and the number of complaints.”
Responding to my question about the failure of this campaign as evidenced by the viral Tom London video of his poor experience at the Helen Joseph Hospital, the MEC says the video “highlighted the need and significance of the campaign and the urgency to have the campaign rolled out throughout the Gauteng Province.”
Concerning her overall assessment, the MEC says the campaign “has been a success at all the institutions where it was launched.”
This is sheer blindness. While the campaign has worthy goals, it will not achieve much in the sea of incompetence and corruption in this department.
The DA believes that fundamental top management changes are needed to fix the underlying problems behind poor staff attitudes and performance in our public hospitals.
Anything less is like using a bandage to treat cancer.