Radiology practices in South Africa operate as private partnerships, frequently based at or near a hospital.
Radiology is billed separately from the referring doctor and from the hospital. A scan generates its own account, and the radiologist’s reading fee may be billed separately again.
Ask what a scan costs and what your scheme funds before it is done. Imaging is one of the commonest sources of a large unexpected shortfall, and pre-authorisation is frequently required.
This page covers how to contact the Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud in South Africa. The details below were taken from the official Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud contact page rather than from any third-party directory.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not the Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel quickly.
The Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud contact numbers
These routes were verified against the official Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud contact page on 23 August 2026. Contact numbers do change, so confirm on the official page before relying on one for anything urgent.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| Complaints call centre, toll free | 080 911 6472 |
| Complaints WhatsApp | 060 012 3456 |
| Complaints SMS line | 48090 |
| General enquiries | 012 942 7700 |
| Complaints email | [email protected] |
| Independently operated fraud and ethics hotline | 080 000 3231 |
| Fraud and ethics SMS | 30916 |
The complaints call centre operates from 08:00 to 17:00. The office is at Eco-Glades Office Park 1, Block B, 70 Ribbon Grass Street, Highveld, Centurion, Pretoria.
The Health Ombud investigates complaints about health establishments, public and private, and it is free. A complaint about an individual practitioner’s professional conduct goes to the HPCSA instead, and a medical scheme dispute goes to the Council for Medical Schemes. Those are three different bodies and sending a complaint to the wrong one costs weeks.
Self-service options before you call
- Check the official site at healthombud.org.za, which carries the current contact details and any online enquiry form.
- WhatsApp on 060 012 3456, which works over wifi and leaves you a written record.
- Email to [email protected], which gives you a written record of what you asked and when.
- Calling outside peak times. Monday mornings and the hour after 17:00 are usually the worst for South African contact centres.
What to have ready before you call
- A clear one line summary of what you need resolved.
- Your account, order or reference number if you already have one.
- The identity document or account holder details, since most South African providers verify who you are before discussing an account.
- Dates, amounts and any error message exactly as it appeared.
- A pen and paper for the reference number. Ask for one every time, because without it a follow up call starts from nothing.
Private hospital accounts and what you will actually pay
- Pre-authorisation is not a guarantee of payment. It confirms the scheme accepts the admission, not that it will cover the full amount, and the shortfall is yours.
- The surgeon and the anaesthetist bill separately from the hospital, frequently above scheme rates. Ask each of them what they charge relative to the scheme tariff before an elective procedure.
- Get the quotation in writing before an elective admission, and get the scheme’s authorisation number. Every later billing query is traced on that authorisation.
- Emergency treatment cannot be refused. Section 27 of the Constitution applies whatever your scheme status, and a facility may not turn away an emergency for inability to pay.
- Ask for an itemised account. You are entitled to one, and it is the only way to check what was actually charged against what was actually done.
Complaints about a hospital’s standard of care go to the Health Ombud on 080 911 6472. Complaints about what a scheme paid go to the Council for Medical Schemes on 086 112 3267. Both are free.
Complaints and escalation
If a first call does not resolve the matter, escalate through the practitioner’s or the facility’s own complaints process first, in writing. Complaints about an individual practitioner’s conduct go to the relevant statutory council, and complaints about care at a health establishment go to the Health Ombud on 080 911 6472. Medical scheme disputes go to the Council for Medical Schemes on 086 112 3267. All three are free.
Keep a short written log of each contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the agent and the reference number. Most health complaint processes ask for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
Avoiding fake Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud contact numbers
Contact details for well known South African brands are a common target for impersonation. Numbers that look official appear in search ads, social media replies and cloned websites, and the person answering is not the Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud.
- Reach Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud through the official site at healthombud.org.za rather than through a number in a search advert or a social media reply.
- The Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud will never ask you for your full card number, PIN, CVV, online banking password or a one time PIN. Nobody legitimate needs those to help you.
- Treat any caller who creates urgency, asks you to install remote access software, or asks you to move money to a safe account as fraudulent, and end the call.
- If you are unsure whether a call was genuine, hang up and dial the official number yourself rather than calling back a number the caller gave you.
Related contact pages
Frequently asked questions
What is the Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud contact number?
The routes are listed in the table above, with what each one is for. The main route is 080 911 6472. Confirm it on healthombud.org.za before relying on it, since numbers are changed from time to time.
How do I know a Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud number is genuine?
Check it against the official site at healthombud.org.za. A number that only appears in a search advert, a social media reply or a third-party directory should not be trusted for anything involving your account, your money or your identity document.
What should I do if nobody resolves my query?
Ask for the complaint reference and the escalation path on your first call, then follow the escalation route described above. Keep the dates, agent names and reference numbers, because every formal complaint process will ask for them.
Can ContactDetails.co.za resolve this for me?
No. We are an independent directory, not the Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud, and we have no access to your account. Everything here is a routing aid so that you reach the correct official channel with the right information in hand.
Is there a cost to calling these numbers?
South African 0860 and 0861 numbers are charged at a share-call or standard rate depending on your provider, and 0800 numbers are toll free from a landline. Calls from a mobile are billed at your own operator’s rate, so check your plan if cost matters.
Contact routes on this page were checked against the official Office of Health Standards Compliance and the Health Ombud source on 23 August 2026. If you find a detail that has changed, the official source is always the authority.