Johannesburg – Health Minister Dr. Joe Phaahla on Friday announced the appointment of Emeritus Professor Taole Resetselemang Mokoena as the new health ombud.
Professor Mokoena replaces Professor Malegapuru W. Makgoba whose term of office as the Health Ombud has come to an end as of the 31st May 2023.
“It is my pleasure to announce that Professor Makgoba will be succeeded by Emeritus Professor Taole Resetselemang Mokoena with effect from the 1st of June 2023,” said Health Minister Dr. Phaahla
“Professor Mokoena is one of the most outstanding South African medical scholars who has transcended the globe to show the quality of the South Africans’ academic prowess.
“He is a medical graduate of the University of Natal, a D.Phil graduate of the University of Oxford, and a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow.”
Professor Mokoena recently retired as a Professor and Academic Head of the Department of Surgery, Chief Surgeon of the Department of General Surgery at the University of Pretoria and Steve Biko Academic Hospital.
“But he continues his work on a part-time or sessional basis to teach, train and supervise undergraduate and post-graduate medical students and research,” the health minister said.
Professor Mokoena’s clinical and research interests encompass immunology, oncology, and endocrinology, and having previously been part of a renal transplant unit at the universities of Natal and Witwatersrand.
He is active in academic and professional leadership, having served at different times on several national and professional bodies like the South African Medical Association, Health Professions Council of South Africa, Colleges of Medicine of South Africa, and College of Surgeons of South Africa.
Professor Mokoena was also appointed to chair a Panel for the Investigation of Surgical Deaths at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in 1996/7 and the Panel of Inquiry into Discrimination within the Cardiology Department at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
“This track record gives credence to his appointment as the new Health Ombud, armed with experience in investigations and inquiries in wrongdoing and injustices in the healthcare sector,” Dr. Joe Phaahla.
“We are confident that Professor Mokoena will execute his work with diligence and absolute sense of justice, eschewing impartiality and no prejudice to all.”
The health minister and the Department of Health wished Professor Mokoena success in his new responsibility and assure him of unparalleled support at all material times.
Saying farewell to Professor Makgoba, who was appointed Health Ombud by the former health minister, now Home Affairs Minister Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi on 1 June 2016 for a non-renewable term of seven years, Dr. Phaahla said: “South Africa and the healthcare system is greatly indebted to him”.
Health Minister Dr. Phaahla said that Professor Makgoba’s departure was “a loss to the system that still requires a huge overhaul and deep reform”.
He added: “Although, we are glad that he managed to set up systems which we believe his successor will be able to continue with the good work he left behind.
“The Ministry and Department hope that as he departs, he will not be completely lost from the healthcare system as it will continuously seek his advice and counsel as we proceed with the necessary reforms to build an affordable, accessible, and durable healthcare system.”
The Health Ombud is an independent body established in terms of the National Health Amendment Act of 2013, with the responsibility to protect and promote the health and safety of users of health services by considering, investigating, and disposing of complaints in the national health system relating to non-compliance with prescribed norms and standards.
The Health Ombud is located within the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC), a scheduled 3A public entity in terms of the PFMA.
The mandate of the OHSC includes, among others, the responsibility to monitor the implementation of the recommendations made by the Health Ombud.
Professor Makgoba, since assuming office, has displayed his patriotism and commitment to the creation of an improved healthcare service in the country, by impartially and with no favour or prejudice, investigating complaints brought to his office and making recommendations that are invaluable to the health system in the country.
He was expectedly assisted by his long service and experience in the clinical care work, knowledge of public service, and the requisite needs of a better and more durable healthcare system.
He was bestowed with the daunting task of establishing this office since he was the first South African Health Ombud, allowing the country to follow the good examples and practices of other countries in ensuring that our people receive improved quality healthcare in a modernised health infrastructure.
Some of the major investigations conducted under his leadership include Life Esidimeni involving mental health patients, Tembisa Hospital, and the recent Rahima Moosa Mother & Child Hospital, which bear testimony to the intent to assist the government and the public to build a durable health system.
Professor Makgoba did not only attend to high-profile complaints but also spent a huge amount of his term following on the complaints of ordinary people who visit our healthcare facilities.
