South Africa: Health Ombudsman Conference Highlights Healthcare As a Human Right

The Office of the Health Ombudsman has convened its inaugural two-day conference, which started on Thursday, 11 September 2025, at the Emperors Palace Conference Centre in Kempton Park, Gauteng.

The Health Ombudsman Conference 2025 coincides with the observance of World Patient Safety Day, underscoring the Ombudsman’s commitment to ensuring the quality and safety of healthcare services for all users.

Held under the theme: “Health and Healthcare as a Human Right,” the biennial gathering brings together healthcare professionals, policymakers, regulators, academics, and civil society.

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 session features in-depth open dialogue sessions and presentations that focus on various factors affecting access to safe and quality healthcare services.

In addition, discussions cover the contribution of the private healthcare industry and funders towards achieving universal access to healthcare in South Africa.

Health Ombudsman, Emeritus Professor Taole Mokoena, said the conference serves as a vital platform to reflect on South Africa’s 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,” he said.

The inaugural conference reaffirms the Health Ombudsman’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.

By SAnews.gov.za.