Legal
Policy on data processing
Last updated September 2026. Processed under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
About the company
Network One Health (Pty) Ltd manages Dr H P Manyonga & Associates Inc. (Practice No. 0977357) and associated practices. As part of our commitment to improving patient care, we partner with selected hospitals and service providers to offer a wide range of medical services. Where it is necessary for your care, your information may be shared with these associated practices and partners. We collect personal information directly from you through your interactions with us.
The information we collect
We collect and use your personal information primarily for communication, for meeting our professional and regulatory obligations, and for understanding your needs. This includes basic contact information such as your name, email, location and phone number. We will always tell you which information is mandatory and which is optional. We may also collect standard internet visitor data through cookies.
How we use your information
We use your personal information to understand your specific needs and requirements. You authorise us to process it in order to communicate with you, to provide you with services, to verify the information you have given us, and to compile non-personal statistical information. You also authorise us to transmit it to any service provider that helps us meet your service or information requirements. Where necessary, your information may be retained for as long as is needed and as required by law.
Disclosure of information
We may disclose your personal information to our service providers and contracted clinicians involved in delivering products or services to you. We have confidentiality agreements in place to ensure they comply with POPIA. We may also disclose your information where we have a duty or a right to do so in terms of law or industry codes, or where we believe it is necessary to protect our rights.
Website assistant (NOMA)
Our website offers NOMA, an AI assistant you can type or speak to. It is provided by SmartAlex, which acts as our operator under a written operator agreement in terms of POPIA. We collect what you type or say to NOMA, the transcript of the conversation, audio where you use voice, and the page you were on. We use it to respond to you, to arrange care or a call-back, and to monitor the quality and safety of the assistant. Your microphone is used only after you press Talk and give your browser permission.
SmartAlex uses sub-processors for speech recognition, voice calls and data storage, and some of them process information outside South Africa. Such transfers take place only where the recipient is bound by law, binding corporate rules or agreement to protect the information to a standard substantially similar to POPIA, as section 72 requires. NOMA gives general information only. It is not clinical advice and it is not an emergency service. Please do not share identity numbers, medical aid numbers or detailed health information with it.
Use of artificial intelligence (AI)
We use AI tools only to support our team, never to replace the judgement of a registered health practitioner. A registered practitioner makes every decision about your diagnosis and treatment and remains accountable for it (HPCSA Ethical Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence, Booklet 20, paras 3.5, 9.1 and 9.2).
Before we use an AI tool in your care, we will tell you that we are using it, what it can and cannot do, and how we check its output. If an AI tool assisted with a diagnosis or a treatment recommendation, we will tell you. You may ask how a tool works, including its known limitations and risks of bias (Booklet 20, paras 6.2, 6.3 and 6.7).
You may decline the use of AI in your care. Declining will not affect your access to our services (Booklet 20, para 6.2).
We only use AI tools we have assessed as fit for their purpose, and any AI built into a medical device must meet the requirements of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA). Where information that does not identify you will serve the purpose, we use that instead. Our agreements with AI providers require them to use your information only to provide their service to us (Booklet 20, paras 3.8, 4.6, 4.7 and 10; POPIA, sections 20 and 21).
Information security
We are legally obliged to provide adequate protection for the personal information we hold and to prevent unauthorised access and use. We continually review our security controls and processes. These cover physical security; computer and network security; access to personal information; secure communications; security in contracted-out activities; retention and disposal of information; acceptable usage; governance and regulatory issues; monitoring access and usage; and investigating and reacting to security incidents. When we contract with third parties, we impose appropriate security, privacy and confidentiality obligations on them, and we ensure anyone to whom we pass your information treats it with the same level of protection we are obliged to provide.
How long we keep your information
We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected, or for as long as a law, a professional rule or a contract requires (POPIA, section 14). The minimum periods we apply are:
- Clinical records: at least seven years after your last visit. The HPCSA requires at least six years after a record becomes dormant (HPCSA Guidelines on the Keeping of Patient Records, Booklet 9, para 9.2).
- Records of children: at least until the child's 21st birthday, because a claim may be brought up to three years after the age of 18. This applies equally to pregnancy and birth (obstetric) records, which we keep at least until the child born in our care turns 21 (Booklet 9, para 9.3.1; Prescription Act 68 of 1969).
- Records of a patient who lacks mental capacity: for the patient's lifetime (Booklet 9, para 9.3.2).
- Records of illness or injury arising from a person's work: at least 20 years after treatment (Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993; Booklet 9, para 9.4). Records of exposure to a condition that develops slowly: at least 25 years (Booklet 9, para 9.6).
- Accounts, invoices, payments and medical scheme claims: at least seven years (Companies Act 71 of 2008, section 24; Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011, section 29).
- Records of people who work with us, including contracted clinicians: employment and remuneration records for at least three years after the last entry (Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997, section 31), and tax-related records for at least five years (Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011, section 29).
- Enquiries that do not lead to care, including call-back requests and conversations with NOMA: up to two years after the last contact, unless the enquiry becomes part of your clinical record.
We keep a record for longer if a law requires it, or while a complaint, legal claim or investigation is pending. At the end of the period we destroy or de-identify the record in a way that prevents it from being reconstructed (POPIA, section 14(4) and (5)).
We may keep registration information longer than the periods above, for internal statistical analysis only. It is not used to contact you or to make decisions about you, access to it is restricted, and where possible it is analysed without names or identity numbers (POPIA, section 14(2)).
Your rights and access to your information
You have the right to view your information at any time, and to request its correction or deletion. Please note that an access request may be subject to a legally allowable fee to cover costs.
Definition of personal information
Under POPIA, personal information means information relating to an identifiable, living, natural person and, where applicable, an identifiable, existing juristic person. We also treat all addresses (residential, postal and email) and any information relating to health as personal information.
How to contact us
If you have any queries about this policy, need more information about our privacy practices, wish to withdraw consent, exercise preferences, or access or correct your personal information, contact us:
- Email: info@networkonehealth.co.za
- Phone (Johannesburg): 011 458 2497
- Phone (Pretoria): 012 320 0167
- Address: Allhart Business Park, 152 Cnr Western Service Road & Woodlands Drive, Woodmead, 2191