Ministry of Health pledges support for hospital users’ grievances

The Ministry of Health says it is committed to ensuring that the grievances of hospital users are heard and addressed effectively in the country by taking proactive steps to empower the Office of the Ombudsman in investigating and resolving complaints lodged by service users, their representatives, and other stakeholders pertaining to hospital services.

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Speaking during a media training recently in Mponela which aimed at shedding light on the activities of the Office of the Ombudsman, Adrian Chikumbe, the Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Health, emphasized the need for greater awareness about this vital aspect of healthcare governance.

Chikumbe noted that many individuals are unaware of the existence of the Ombudsman’s office within hospital settings, highlighting the importance of enhancing transparency and accessibility.

“Many of the activities have more to the human resource that this one can be a lot of impartial it has been before not many people know about the existence of the office,” he added.

Chikumbe further highlighted the collaborative efforts between the Grievances Redress Committee (GRC) and hospital ombudsmen, along with other relevant authorities such as the Ministry of Health and District Councils.

“Grievances Redress Committee works hand in hand with hospital Ombudsman, Area Development Committee (ADC) in some hospitals to provide feedback to relevant authorities like the Ministry of Health District Councils highlighting areas requiring intervention and improvement,” he said.

He further said that Grievances Redress Mechanism (GRM) is a key tool through which local communities and other stakeholders exercise their voice and also provide awareness platform for hospital users and other relevant stakeholders on their health-related rights.

GRC is expected complaints coming as a result of implementing projects supported by world bank.