While Holmes did not have good reviews for the hospital’s doctors, junior and senior, he applauded two doctors who treated him for part of his treatment.
With the help of donations from the public, he moved to Morningside Clinic for further treatment at the weekend. He had received close to the R120,000 he needed to pay for the private care, he said.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi has asked a member of his team to discuss conditions at the hospital with him and to possibly meet in person.
Holmes said he would appreciate the opportunity to speak to Lesufi as he could represent an ordinary person in a state healthcare facility.
“My complaints and my voice is not about me. Everyone who has been through Helen Joseph has the same complaints . It’s not my voice I’ll be speaking with, rather the voices of thousands of unhappy South Africans.”
The MEC visited the hospital on Sunday to be briefed about the situation.
“Nkomo-Ralehoko met the management team of Helen Joseph Hospital (HJH) together with senior officials from the department. She was appraised about the care provided to Mr Thomas Holmes after his complaint on social media,” said department spokesperson Motalatale Modiba.
“Tom London, 51, was admitted at the hospital on August 25. He was in the facility for 14 days, where he was cared for, subjected to tests and stabilised. On September 7 he signed a refusal of treatment form and discharged himself from hospital.
“Having received a briefing from the clinicians on the treatment given to Tom London, the department is satisfied adequate clinical care was discharged to manage his condition. In addition, the department is willing to allow an independent process to review the quality of clinical care provided to him while at the hospital.”
Modiba conceded to the poor infrastructure issues Holmes complained about.
“There are known infrastructure issues which are being attended to as part the maintenance and refurbishment programme. However, these have not had a material effect on the treatment given to patients admitted at the hospital.”
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