My wife took our 2 children to the Paediatrician for a checkup. The doctor carried out the checkup and asked for blood tests and x-rays to be done for the children which my wife did at the hospital. The results of the tests were not going to be available on the same day and my wife was told that she would have to call for the test results. The following day and for many days thereafter both my wife and I tried calling but whenever the receptionist answered the call was put on hold to speak to the doctor and the doctor would never answer. The doctor could not be contacted via email either. Two weeks later, my wife went back without the children to ask for the test results. My wife was not told by the receptionist nor by the doctor that a full consultation fee of R639.90 would be charged to see the doctor for 10 mins in order to obtain the test results. There are a myriad of technological communication platforms available for making test results available to a patient thereby eliminating the necessity for a face to face follow on/test results. The problem with medical practitioners in South africa is that they still communicate using smoke signals hence third world!!!
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