Video Shows Patient Neglect at Dora Nginza Hospital Sparks Outrage, Health Department Blames Strike
- A media has surfaced online showing the plight of the patients at the Dora Nginza Hospital in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape
- The Health Department has responded to the video, indicating that a strike was the root cause of the current problems
- South Africans took to social media to express frustration at the situation at the hospital, noting that it's not a new issue
- Anathi Phela, a legal expert, spoke to Briefly News about the unavailability of medical staff due to a strike
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
EASTERN CAPE – A video highlighting the shocking situation at the Dora Nginza Hospital in Gqeberha has sparked outrage online.
The situation at the Eastern Cape health facility was brought to light after the video surfaced online. The video was made by a man who was visiting a loved one at the hospital.
In the video, patients could be seen unattended, and one was even filmed lying on the floor. There were also allegations made that there was a dead body in one of the wards.
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Health Department blames strike for the issue
Speaking to eNCA about the video, Eastern Cape Health Department spokesperson Siyanda Manana said that there was a strike at the hospital, which resulted in patients being unattended to.
He also explained that staff were overwhelmed, as they were also treating patients from a neighbouring community health centre.
"There is a Motherwell community health centre that is not operational right now because of security reasons. Now you have a higher volume of work for the nursing staff as well as the clinical staff at Dora Nginza," Manana said.
Manana also stated that no patient deaths were reported at the hospital, despite the allegations.
He noted that staff complained that they were having to work longer hours and thus went on strike. Briefly News has reached out to the Eastern Cape Department of Health for comment, and it will be published as it is made available.
Legal expert discuss the staff shortage issues
Speaking to Briefly News, Anathi Phela, a legal expert, said that South African doctors owe every patient a common law and constitutional duty of care.
He noted that according to the Health Professions Council of South Africa's (HPCSA) ethical rules and the constitutional right to emergency medical treatment under section 27(3), cannot be suspended even during a strike, meaning a patient left on the floor without any care whatsoever constitutes a clear breach of that duty and provided causation and harm are established, a delictual claim for negligence will succeed; a striking doctor must still render emergency stabilisation before withdrawing labour, and failure to do so exposes both the individual practitioner and the employing institution to joint and several liability.
"This means that the doctor and the managing staff, and especially the Minister of Health, will be just as liable for the acts of omission, effectively meaning that there is a failure to perform a positive duty. As such, medical law informs us that the Dr will be liable with the minister through the principle of vicarious liability. The Hippocratic Oath will also come into play, where the doctor promises to take the utmost possible care of the patient, and even more so because patients are classified as a vulnerable group," Phela said.
Hospital has been in the headlines before
The Dora Nginza Hospital is no stranger to controversy and has been in the headlines before for alleged neglect of patients.
In May 2025, videos went viral of pregnant women who were forced to sleep on the floor or sit on chairs for days due to a lack of beds in the maternity ward.
There were also reports of stillbirths linked to the alleged delays and negligence of mothers at the hospital. It's not just Dora Nginza Hospital where there have been problems of late.
Community members are calling for a full investigation after a woman allegedly gave birth on the grass outside Wentworth Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.
South Africans are frustrated by the situation
Social media users weighed in on the news, expressing frustration with the situation.
Viwe Kutta stated:
“Even if there is no strike, patients are not properly taken care of. It's as if the staff is doing the community a favour by being there.”
Eva Andrejevic exclaimed:
“Strike or no strike, patients come first.”
Horatio Smith agreed:
“It is still not a good enough excuse to come up with. There should be no excuse here. It’s not about saving people's jobs, it's more neglected lives in need of medical care. Neglecting and being on strike is the best you can come up with? Hayi makahambe immediately.”
Khanyisa Gusha exclaimed:
“Jhoo, what I saw on the news this morning was disheartening, more especially to me as a health professional. Consequential management of the staff and managers in that hospital must be followed accordingly.”
Jaco Le Roux stated:
“Always excuses but nothing improves.”
Man claims staff treat dying patients like cockroaches
Briefly News reported that a disgruntled patient described the shocking conditions and treatment of patients at the Helen Joseph Hospital.
The healthcare facility in Johannesburg came under fire after the patient posted a video lamenting his experience at the hospital.
The Gauteng Health Department said it had since launched an investigation into the patient's scathing allegations.
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Source: Briefly News
Byron Pillay (Current Affairs Editor) Byron Pillay is a Current Affairs Editor at Briefly News. He received a Diploma in Journalism from the Caxton Cadet School. He spent 15 years covering politics, crime and current affairs. He was also the Head of Department for Sports Brief, where he covered both local and international sporting news. Email: byron.pillay@briefly.co.za
Anathi Phela (Legal academic) Anathi Phela is a legal academic that is based in MUT in KZN and is a leading expert in the field of medical law and forensic medicine and aspects of private law such as media law and property law. He has published In varied areas of the law and has traveled to Europe on scholarships. He holds two master of laws degree and is finishing his PhD In law.
