Health Ombudsman Hosts First National Conference on Healthcare as a Human Right

The Office of the Health Ombudsman has officially convened its inaugural two-day conference, a landmark event that began on Thursday, 11 September 2025, at the Emperors Palace Conference Centre in Kempton Park, Gauteng. The gathering marks a significant milestone in South Africa’s ongoing efforts to strengthen accountability and improve the quality of healthcare delivery.

Coinciding with World Patient Safety Day, the Health Ombudsman Conference 2025 highlights the urgent need to position health and healthcare as a fundamental human right, rather than a privilege.

A Biennial Platform for Change

The event, which will be held every two years, brings together a diverse range of stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, policymakers, regulators, academics, civil society groups, and patient representatives. The conference is designed to serve as a collaborative platform for dialogue, reflection, and solution-driven discussions aimed at transforming South Africa’s healthcare system into one that is more accessible, equitable, and accountable.

Theme and Focus Areas

Held under the theme “Health and Healthcare as a Human Right”, the conference explores how the South African health system can effectively deliver on its constitutional obligation to ensure access to healthcare for all citizens.

Key discussion areas include:

• Oversight and accountability mechanisms to improve governance in healthcare delivery.

• Equitable access to healthcare, with a focus on rural and underserved communities.

• The role of private healthcare and medical funders in advancing universal health coverage.

• Strategies to strengthen patient safety and quality of care standards across the system.

• Ethical considerations in health service delivery, including dignity, fairness, and justice.

Sessions feature open dialogue panels, keynote addresses, and expert presentations that provide critical perspectives on both the public and private healthcare sectors.

Ombudsman’s Vision for Patient-Centred Care

Health Ombudsman, Emeritus Professor Taole Mokoena, emphasised the importance of the conference as a catalyst for systemic change.

“Our goal is to foster collective commitment to a patient-centred health system that upholds dignity, fairness, and justice. Healthcare must never be treated as a privilege; it is a human right that lies at the core of building a healthy, just, and equitable society,” he said.

Professor Mokoena stressed that the Ombudsman’s mandate extends beyond investigating complaints to actively advocating for systemic reforms, promoting transparency, and safeguarding patients’ rights.

Strengthening Oversight and Accountability

The conference also reaffirms the Office of the Health Ombudsman’s role in ensuring that healthcare facilities and providers adhere to ethical standards and regulatory frameworks. By reinforcing oversight, the Ombudsman aims to close gaps in accountability that have historically undermined public confidence in the health system.

Discussions also emphasised the need for multi-sectoral collaboration—between government, private healthcare providers, funders, and civil society—to achieve universal health coverage and align with global health equity goals.

Looking Ahead

The establishment of the Health Ombudsman Conference as a biennial event signals a long-term commitment to continuous improvement and patient-centred reforms in South Africa’s healthcare system.

As the country grapples with resource constraints, inequality, and service delivery challenges, the inaugural conference provides a timely platform for stakeholders to reflect, innovate, and collaborate on building a system that is both sustainable and rights-based.

The outcomes of the discussions are expected to shape policy recommendations, guide institutional reforms, and strengthen the collective resolve to make quality healthcare a lived reality for all South Africans.