Unacceptable Patient Experience – No Accountability or Apology

I had an extremely disappointing experience at Johannesburg Surgical Hospital, specifically with Dr Human’s practice (Floor 2, Cubicle 14).

My appointment was arranged via Intercare, yet I never received the required pre-appointment form. Upon arrival, I was met with rudeness and a dismissive attitude from the receptionist, who later admitted she had spelled my surname incorrectly in the email. Rather than taking accountability or apologising, she spoke over me, blamed me, and maintained an unprofessional tone throughout. When I calmly asked her to speak respectfully, the situation escalated due to her continued attitude.

Despite being early for my appointment, I was told it had been cancelled. I later learned through Intercare that Dr Human had refused to see me at all—without ever speaking to me directly or hearing my side of the incident.

I submitted a formal complaint on 6 May 2025, which was acknowledged and marked for investigation. However, after more than 20 working days, I received only a defensive letter that dismissed the situation entirely and took no accountability for the poor conduct or the administrative error. No apology was offered, and no one followed up thereafter—despite further written communication from my side.

I have no interest in seeing this doctor again, but I believe patients deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. As it stands, this experience reflects poorly on both the practice and the hospital's management of complaints. Patients should not be denied care or spoken to disrespectfully, and hospitals should not ignore genuine efforts to resolve matters privately.