Dr Neville Govender
Name and shame: Dr Neville Govender—an object lesson in how not to practise medicine

I was admitted under his care in December 2024 with what began as a kidney infection. Across four long days he spent a grand total of ≈15 minutes at my bedside. During that time, my condition spiralled into septicemia while he ignored repeated pleas for hydration, adequate pain relief, and any acknowledgement that I was menstruating and had diarrhoea —an obvious complicating factor for dehydration and immunity.

Despite a sky-high CRP of 278 mg/L on the day I finally self-discharged to protect my own health, he declared I was “improving” and washed his hands of responsibility. He claimed that catching me in an exhausted nap proved his analgesia “worked.” My requests for stronger medication and basic hydration (ice chips came only after three days of begging) were dismissed. Communication was nonexistent: after I finally self-discharged to protect my own health, he provided no follow-up, yet the hospital still listed him as my treating physician.

There was zero follow-up, zero communication, and zero accountability. When confronted, he blamed me for leaving rather than acknowledging his own failures.

His cavalier attitude toward menstruation, dehydration, and severe infection betrays a disturbing lack of ethics of care. I left sicker than when I arrived and genuinely fear how other patients—especially those with complex or gender-specific needs—might fare under his watch.

I would never entrust my health to Dr. Govender again and urge others to look elsewhere for a physician who actually listens, communicates, and treats patients holistically. If you value evidence-based, compassionate medicine, look elsewhere. Dr Govender’s supercilious and nonchalant approach and refusal to own his mistakes left me sicker than when I arrived and terrified for anyone who might end up under his “care.”

Company: Dr Neville Govender
Country: South Africa
Region: Western Cape
City: Cape Town
Postal Code: 8801
Address: CAPE TOWN MEDI-CLINIC, 21 HOF STREET, ORANJEZICHT, 8001
Phone: 0214264400
Site: 0761410594

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