Dr. Palesa Kennedy Practice -Specialist Obstetrician, Gynaecologist & Aesthetic Gynaecologist

Excessive greed. Insufficient humanity

Our experience with Dr. Yolanda Palesa Kennedy has been deeply disappointing and impersonal. What began as a trusting relationship during my wife’s pregnancy turned into a distressing ordeal that no family should have to face. We consulted Dr. Kennedy throughout the pregnancy and paid her practice in full for all consultations. At around 32 weeks, we were asked to pay a R5,000 deposit toward a R13,000 delivery fee, which we understood would secure Dr. Kennedy’s personal services during a natural, spontaneous delivery. At 37 weeks, Dr. Kennedy expressed concern about placental calcification and low amniotic fluid, recommending induction the following week. Uncomfortable with the sudden urgency, we requested a CTG scan before agreeing. After much insistence, the doctor reluctantly agreed, and the results came back completely normal. She still pressed for induction, performing a membrane sweep and insisting that labour must occur within seven days or she would induce. Concerned, we sought a second opinion from another obstetrician, who confirmed that both mother and baby were healthy and no intervention was necessary. Only a few days later, my wife went into natural labour. We rushed to the hospital, where the on-duty midwife delivered our healthy baby boy. Dr. Kennedy was never contacted, did not respond, and was not present at any point. Another doctor, whom we had never met with, arrived 20 minutes after delivery, examined mother and baby, and performed a brief follow-up the next day. Dr. Kennedy never reached out — not a call, message, or hospital visit. Two days days later, we received a bill from her practice for the full R13,000 “global obstetric fee.” The claim was submitted to our medical aid under Dr. Kennedy’s name, not the doctor who actually attended, and her office insisted this was standard practice — even though she provided no care during labour, delivery, or hospitalisation. To date, she has refused to refund the R5,000 deposit or explain the lack of supervision, communication, or disclosure regarding her being out of town at the time of delivery. When questioned, Dr. Kennedy stated that her billing was “ethical and standard” and that the locum arrangement with the stand-in doctor was confidential. Our medical aid, currently investigating the matter for *****ulent billing, has described the situation as inconsistent with ethical billing practices. What should have been one of the happiest moments of our lives was overshadowed by a sense of deception and neglect. We were left feeling disregarded and exploited by someone we had trusted with our most precious moment. Now, almost three months, later she has not once reached out to her patient. Formal complaints have been laid with the HPCSA, NCC and CMS. For anyone considering Dr. Kennedy, I strongly recommend demanding full written clarity on fees, locum arrangements, and availability — and seeking a second opinion before agreeing to any procedure.