How private hospitals can navigate social media storms

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OPINION

By Ivan Deogratious Miro

In recent years, private hospitals have faced a growing and deeply concerning trend, where caretakers of emergency or critically ill patients, often overwhelmed by high medical bills, turn to social media to seek public sympathy, often portraying the hospital as insensitive and exploitative.

As seen in many cases, the underlying intention is to escape payment entirely, whereas in others, it is a desperate attempt to lessen the financial burden through public pressure. However, regardless of the motive, the consequences on the reputation of the hospital in question are significant and long-lasting.

Drawing from the most recent scandal that involved a 12-year-old pupil from Greenhill academy, reports on X (formerly Twitter) claimed the hospital demanded sh150m in medical bills and allegedly withheld the boy’s body until payment!

This fueled a social media uproar that prompted the Ministry of Health to investigate the matter, and as reported in one of our daily locals, the Ministry’s spokesperson said “no one has filed a formal complaint.” Before this, the hospital had also issued a public statement stating that “the figures being circulated…do not reflect the actual bill” and continued to assert that “at no point did the hospital delay, deny or place conditions on the release of the body.”

Private hospitals exist in a uniquely sensitive space, where their work involves matters of life, death and financial strain; an emotional cocktail that can easily spill into the public domain. On the other hand, social media has democratized communication to the point where anyone with a smartphone can become a journalist, critic or influencer, and yet these platforms thrive on incomplete narratives and emotion over fact.

So when a single post accuses a hospital of detaining a patient or body, demanding “exorbitant” fees, the public reaction is swift, often harsh, and almost always uninformed about the realities behind emergency or critical care. Most readers respond emotionally, creating a public perception that is usually grossly unfair.

What gets lost in the noise, however, is the hospital’s side of the story; Emergency care requires highly specialised equipment, staff and medicines, the cost of managing critical conditions often escalates quickly and yet families often demand “everything possible” medically, but struggle with the financial implications thereafter. Unfortunately, social media courts of public opinion rarely accommodate such narratives.

In private healthcare, hospital branding is pivotal for building trust. The brand signals safety, competence, integrity and care. Therefore, when negative stories circulate, whether factual or distorted, they chip away at the very pillars that hold that trust in place. In the end, the brand suffers with; Erosion of public confidence, where the general public begins to perceive the hospital as exploitative or insensitive, even when countless positive patient stories go untold, making a single inaccurate viral post on social media overshadow years of quality service.

Increased risk of regulatory scrutiny, where public pressures force regulators or political actors to intervene, even in situations where the hospital acted appropriately, damaging institutional autonomy. Loss of competitive edge in the increasingly competitive private healthcare market, where reputation influences patient care-seeking decisions. Negative publicity may drive them to alternative providers perceived as more ‘humane’, even if the truth is more complex.

Financial losses occur when patients abscond without paying, forcing the hospital to absorb the cost. These repeated losses affect profitability, quality improvement efforts and overall business sustainability. A hospital’s currency is reputation, and losing it is very expensive, so over time, unchecked negative social media narratives create a branding crisis.

With that in mind, hospital administrators must strive to preserve and protect the hospital brand through proactive prevention and management of communication crises in addition to running clinical operations. Managers should; understand the emotional and psychological drivers behind the online sympathy seekers, some of which could be overwhelming medical bills, misunderstood complexity of critical care costs, feeling trapped or powerless, among others.

Strengthen transparent billing practices where bills are clear, itemised and regularly updated and communicated to reduce misunderstandings. The costs should be explained early to help the families prepare mentally and avoid financial shock. Establish a responsive communications team to monitor social media in real time, address misinformation promptly and provide clarity without breaching confidentiality.

Accurately document everything, including patient management records, communication with families and billing discussions, because documentation forms the foundation of the hospital’s defence against false claims.

Proactively create a positive brand perception by sharing real patient successful stories without breaching confidentiality, stories about community service initiatives and staff achievements. This builds goodwill that cushions the impact of negative incidents, hence preventing crises from defining the overall hospital brand.

In conclusion, the recent uproar surrounding the 12-year-old Greenhill pupil is a clear illustration of how social media can magnify perceived healthcare institution failings into full-blown crises. However, such scandals are not inevitable brand destroyers. If managed well, hospitals can emerge with stronger community bonds, clearer communication channels and deeper public trust.

Therefore, brand protection in healthcare isn’t about avoiding scandal but building a reputation so resilient that even the loudest social media criticisms struggle to define who you really are.

The writer is a student of MBA with Makerere University Business School