Typologies of mistreatment identified among helpdesk responses October 2016 to July 2017
| Typologies of abuse | n | Illustrative question | Helpdesk response |
| Partner and family violence | 39 | “I have a problem with my boyfriend. always when he get drunked He always hurting me, so what i must do plz” (38 y.o. registered user from Eastern Cape) | “It is NOT OK if your partner or anyone hits you or shouts at you. You have the right to seek help. Talk to a friend or a health worker for advice. You need to put your health and the health of your baby first. Call 0800 150 150. It’s a 24 hours Stop Gender Violence helpline and it’s free to call this number from a landline. (Normal cell phone rates apply)” |
| Facility-based mistreatment | 32 | ||
| Discrimination | 9 | “hospital are refusing me my right to have my baby treated somewhere. Can i get help?” (29 y.o. registered user from Gauteng) | “Thank you for sending in your complaint. We have taken note of it and will log the complaint with the Department of Health and your facility.” |
| Verbal abuse | 8 | “The nurse at the clinic yells at me” (22 y.o. registered user from Limpopo) | “Thank you for sending in your complaint. We have taken note of it and will log the complaint with the Department of Health and your facility.” |
| Politeness | 7 | “[removed] clinic nurses are rude” (21 y.o. registered user from Limpopo) | “Thank you for sending in your complaint, we have taken note of it and will log the complaint with the Department of Health and your facility.” |
| Violations of confidentiality or privacy | 2 | “I JUST THANK ALL THE HARDWORK THEY HAVE BEING DOING, BUT SOME OF THEM ARE IMPATIENT, THEY USE PAINFUL WORDS, LIKE TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT MY STATUS.” (24 y.o. registered user from Limpopo) | “Thank you for sending in your complaint. We have taken note of it and will log the complaint with the Department of Health and your facility.” |
| Abandonment | 2 | “My baby died hours after delivery. Because I was left in Labour for three days my baby got tired and died I asked for C-section doctors refused” (Unregistered user) | “Thank you for sending in your complaint. We have taken note of it and will log the complaint with the Department of Health and your facility.” |
| Autonomy | 2 | “[the nurses] ddnt respect us they harass us and force us to do things we don’t want to do” (Unregistered user) | “Thank you for sending in your complaint. We have taken note of it and will log the complaint with the Department of Health and your facility.” |
| Birth companion | 1 | “MAY I ASK WHY ARE GOVERNMENT HOSPITALS NOT ALLOWING FAMILY MEMBERS DURING LABOUR” (40 y.o. registered user from Gauteng) | “It depends on the structure, if there is other people in labour the same time it poses a challenge for the privacy of the next patient. In general women are allowed to have one family member with them during labour.” |
| Unknown | 1 | “I was mistreated before, during and after delivering my baby by [removed]” (29 y.o. registered user from Eastern Cape) | “Thank you for sending in your complaint. We have taken note of it and will log the complaint with the Department of Health and your facility.” |
| Physical abuse | 0 | NA | NA |
| Bribes | 0 | NA | NA |
| Poor service | 19 | “The clinic is too small we don’t have enough room for pregnant, and new born babies & family planning. We don’t exercise, no enough nurses to assist” | “Thank you for sending in your complaint. We have taken note of it and will log the complaint with the Department of Health and your facility.” |
NA, not applicable.