Tom London insists complaints about Helen Joseph Hospital conditions substantiated

JOHANNESBURG - The man who drew the spotlight on the conditions at the Helen Joseph Hospital insists his complaints were substantiated despite an ombudsman report finding otherwise.  

A video by Tom London, who was admitted to the facility in 2024, sparked outrage after he spoke of the deplorable state of the hospital.  

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A report by the Health Ombudsman has found that the hospital has a leadership crisis, is inadequately resourced, and not fit for purpose.  

But the ombud also found that most of London’s claims were unsubstantiated.  

In an eight-minute video, the former broadcaster gave a tour of the Helen Joseph Hospital bathrooms, revealing the collapsing state of the facility.  

London also detailed how he was given poor clinical care, with the doctors discussing their bonuses and restaurants while attending to a patient who later died.  

But the report by the Health Ombudsman, while scathing on the conditions at the facility, has found that five of the seven investigated allegations by London were unsubstantiated.  

London said it’s all semantics.  

“With regards to the claim that a dead body was left in the ward for between 3 and 4 hours, the Health Ombuds report found that the body was there for 2 and a half hours. The operating procedures in the hospital are that the body can’t lie there for more than 2 hours. Well, it laid there for half an hour over that limit.”  

London said he is happy with the report highlighting the problems at Helen Joseph Hospital.