Privacy policy

01

Scope and responsibility

Zainub Mudhoo Physiotherapy is responsible for the personal information it determines how and why to process. This notice applies to information handled through the website, appointment enquiries, practice administration and physiotherapy services.

This notice explains how the practice intends to handle personal information within the applicable South African legal and professional framework, including the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

02

Information that may be collected

• Identity and contact details: name, telephone number, email address, address and other identifying details required for administration.
• Appointment information: preferred dates, service type, practice or home-visit preference and the reason for contacting the practice.
• Health information: symptoms, medical history, diagnoses, referrals, reports, assessment findings, treatment notes and rehabilitation progress.
• Medical-aid and billing information: scheme details, membership information, authorisations, invoices and payment records where relevant.
• Communications: messages sent through forms, email, telephone, WhatsApp or live chat, and records of appointment-related communication.
• Technical information: device, browser, IP address, cookie preferences, pages viewed and basic analytics or security data.

Information may come directly from you, a parent or guardian, a referring healthcare professional, a medical scheme, an authorised representative, or automatically from your device when using the website.

03

How and why information is used

Information is used only where there is a lawful and relevant reason, including to:

• respond to enquiries and arrange, confirm or change appointments;
• assess, treat and monitor patients and maintain appropriate clinical records;
• communicate with patients, guardians, referring professionals and authorised caregivers;
• manage accounts, invoices, payments, medical-aid submissions and related administration;
• meet legal, ethical, professional, tax, accounting, insurance and regulatory duties;
• protect patients, staff, systems and the practice from misuse, fraud or security threats;
• understand website use and improve accessibility, content and service delivery.

The practice does not sell personal information. Direct marketing will only be sent where permitted by law, and you may opt out of it.

04

Health information and information about children

Health information is sensitive and is handled with additional confidentiality. It is processed where necessary to provide care, protect the patient, comply with professional duties, manage authorised claims or meet another lawful requirement.

Where a patient is a child or cannot provide the required authority independently, information should be supplied by a parent, guardian or other legally authorised person. The practice may verify authority before releasing records or discussing care.

05

When information may be shared

Personal information is not disclosed more widely than necessary. It may be shared with:

• authorised practice personnel and contractors who require it for care or administration;
• referring or treating healthcare professionals, caregivers or representatives where authorised or clinically and legally appropriate;
• medical schemes, administrators, insurers, funders or payment providers for authorised billing and claims;
• website hosting, form, email, communications, analytics, security, backup and professional-service providers acting under appropriate obligations;
• regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies or other parties where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

Some contracted technology providers may process information outside South Africa. Where this occurs, the practice seeks to use providers and arrangements that support appropriate protection under POPIA.

06

Cookies, analytics and third-party platforms

The website uses necessary cookies for core operation and consent preferences. With your selection through the cookie banner, it may also use functional, analytics or marketing technologies to understand use, support chat features and measure website activity.

You can change non-essential cookie choices through the cookie preference control displayed on the website. Blocking some technologies may affect certain functions.

07

Security and retention

Reasonable administrative, technical and organisational measures are used to reduce the risk of loss, unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction. No online or electronic system can be guaranteed completely secure.

Information is kept only for as long as it is reasonably needed for care, administration, dispute management and applicable legal, professional, financial or regulatory requirements. It is then securely deleted, destroyed or de-identified where appropriate.

08

Your privacy rights

Subject to POPIA and other applicable duties, you may ask whether the practice holds your information, request access, request correction or deletion of inaccurate or unlawfully held information, object to certain processing, withdraw consent where consent is the basis, or ask how a decision about your request was reached.

The practice may need to confirm your identity and authority before acting on a request. Some information cannot be deleted immediately where clinical, legal, accounting or professional rules require it to be retained.

09

Questions, requests and complaints

Send privacy requests to the practice using the details below. Please describe the information or concern clearly and provide enough detail for the request to be located and verified.

You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa when a privacy concern is not resolved. Visit the Information Regulator website.

10

Changes to this notice

This notice may be updated when the practice, website, service providers or legal requirements change. The latest version and update date will be displayed on this page.