Going by recent happenings in Africa’s healthcare sector, most hospitals only think about public relations (PR) when public trust is already damaged, perhaps by a negative patient story that has gone viral on social media or when litigation is imminent.
This type of communication is reactive, defensive, and typically limited to damage control. Professionally, healthcare is more than merely curing diseases. It is about establishing trust and dignity throughout the patient journey, rather than just before or during a crisis.
A recent webinar “Communication Crisis in Healthcare in Africa – Examining gaps and lived experiences”, empaneled by patients, medical and communication experts, heard harrowing stories of patients being dismissed untreated, reduced to their fertility, or given frightening diagnoses without compassion. These are not only communication failures, but they also point towards reputational crises waiting to happen.
A hospital can invest billions in equipment, but if patients feel unseen or unheard, the institution risks losing credibility in an era where one TikTok video (whether justified or not), can undo decades of brand-building.
Globally, the best in-class hospitals understand that PR is not about firefighting or fudging facts. It is about protecting the organisation’s reputation through proactive and well-timed strategic actions before complaints escalate into front-page scandals to act.
Pro-active PR seeks to shape the narrative through transparency, education, and human connection. Hospitals need to move beyond slogans about “patient-centered care” to demonstrating it daily through communication, empathy, and shared decision-making. As communicators we need to help our hospitals to re-frame the patient relationship from a “client” to a “partner”.
When patients feel informed and respected, they become allies, not adversaries. This is particularly critical in Africa, where cultural deference to doctors, coupled with the perceived elitism of the medical profession, often silences patients until mistrust festers into frustration.
In a continent where proper healthcare is still a preserve of a few, hospitals must do more to educate the public on their healthcare rights and standards through proactive engagement and storytelling, including basic patient communication expectations and procedures.
Worldwide, there are numerous examples of stellar communication and patient engagement efforts by other hospitals around the world that we can borrow from. The video campaign “Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care” by United States based Cleveland Clinic, is one of the most-watched healthcare videos globally.
More than a glossy advert, this campaign highlighted the unseen struggles of patients and staff. A reminder that empathy is medicine, the video built emotional connection and reinforced trust without waiting for a PR crisis.
Similarly, The National Health Service in the United Kingdom, has increasingly embraced proactive digital engagement, publishing waiting times, patient rights, and safety protocols openly online. While not perfect, this open access and transparency reduces anxiety and shows patients they are partners in the system, not just passive recipients of healthcare services.
In India, Apollo Hospitals runs constant patient education campaigns on preventive care primarily on heart health, diabetes management and cancer screening, using social media, webinars, and community forums. This positions the hospital not as a reactive service provider but as a crucial partner in everyday health management.
The Mayo Clinic in the United States has also consistently ranked as one of the most trusted hospitals globally. Mayo has used blogs, podcasts, and patient stories to demystify treatment and spotlight hope. Their proactive storytelling over the years has ensured patients associate the brand with care and credibility before illness even strikes.
With African hospitals at crossroads, they can continue using PR as a fire extinguisher, or they can embrace it as preventive medicine by urgently adopting a few simple but proactive measures. The first step would be to invest in patient engagement and communication units.
Just as corporates have customer experience departments, hospitals should build dedicated patient communications teams. These teams should not only handle complaints but proactively share updates, explain procedures in plain language, and check in with patients during recovery.
Additionally, hospitals should normalise transparency in hospital operations and patient care, unlike the present situation where patients and doctors alike admit that many patients leave consultations intimidated, more confused, or misinformed. Proactive PR means engaging patients with empathy, breaking medical jargon into digestible content, creating explainer videos, and encouraging patients to ask questions. Hospitals should publish patient charters, rights, and responsibilities prominently, on websites, mobile apps, and posters in waiting areas.
We have an opportunity to change this scenario by telling stories of humanity, not just marketing our technology, beds and machines. While these are important, patients just want to be treated with dignity when accessing healthcare services. Proactive storytelling should spotlight doctors who listen, nurses who comfort, and patients who overcame illness. This is the content that builds trust before crisis headlines appear.
As came out in the webinar, most medical schools in Africa do not teach communication skills. As communicators, we are aiming to push for continuous training in emotional intelligence, trauma-informed communication, and active listening. A doctor who explains, “Here’s what this means and why it matters,” prevents mistrust before it begins. Afterall, we must bring the humanity to the science and the care to the health.
Ultimately, healthcare is not about curing diseases alone, but about the entire healing experience. Healthcare communications in Africa must therefore evolve from crisis response to proactive trust-building. Hospitals should not wait for scandals to hire communication consultants or scramble for press releases. Instead, they must embed storytelling, transparency, and empathy into their daily operations.
By Winnie Gor, Founder and CEO, Winnie Gor Communications Africa