Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how
Equilibrium Health
handles information collected through our website,
https://eqhmedical.co.za. It sits alongside our full Patient Privacy Policy, which sets out in detail how we handle your personal and health information as a patient of the practice. You can download the full policy at the end of this page.

Who we are

Our website address is https://eqhmedical.co.za. Equilibrium Health is the trading name of Dr N Petropoulos (PTY) Ltd, a private medical practice focused on obesity medicine and metabolic health.

You can reach us at:

• Email: info@eqhmedical.co.za
• Telephone: 010 500 7541
• Address: Unit 3, 67 Brahman Avenue, Westfield, Modderfontein, Johannesburg, 1609

We are a “responsible party” under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA). As a healthcare provider, we also work within the National Health Act, the Health Professions Act and HPCSA guidelines. Our Information Officer oversees our compliance and can be reached at info@eqhmedical.co.za with the subject line “Privacy Matter – Information Officer”.

What this policy covers

This page focuses on the information we collect when you use our website, for example when you send an enquiry, book an appointment online, or simply browse. How we collect, use and protect your health and clinical information as a patient is explained in full in our Patient Privacy Policy, available for download below.

Information we collect through the website

Enquiry and contact forms. When you contact us through a form on our website, we collect the details you provide (such as your name, email address, phone number and message) so that we can respond to your enquiry.

Online booking. If you book an appointment through our online booking system, your booking details are used to schedule and confirm your appointment. Booking is handled through a third-party scheduling provider, so your information is processed on their platform to complete the booking.

Comments. When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection. An anonymised string created from your email address (a “hash”) may be provided to the Gravatar service to check whether you use it (the Gravatar privacy policy is at https://automattic.com/privacy/). After your comment is approved, your profile picture is visible to the public alongside your comment.

Media. If you upload images to the website, please avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS), because visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the site.

Technical information collected automatically. Like most websites, we automatically collect limited technical information such as your IP address, browser type and version, device information, the pages you visit, and the date and time of your visit. This helps us keep the site secure and understand how it is used.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit our website. We use them to keep the site working, remember your preferences, and understand how the site is used.

• Essential cookies are required for the website to function.
• Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use the site (for example, Google Analytics) and collect information in an aggregated form.
• Functional cookies remember your preferences and choices.

If you leave a comment on our site you may opt in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies, for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies last for one year.

You can control cookies through your browser settings, the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on, or the cookie preferences on our site. Disabling essential cookies may affect how the website works.

Embedded content from other websites

Pages on this site may include embedded content (for example videos, maps, or our booking widget). Embedded content from other websites behaves in exactly the same way as if you had visited the other website. These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with it if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

Who we share your data with

Suggested text: If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.

How long we retain your data

We do not sell your information or share it with marketing companies, data brokers or unrelated third parties. In the website context:

• If you request a password reset, your IP address will be included in the reset email.
• Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam-detection service.
• Analytics data is processed by our analytics provider (such as Google Analytics).

How we share your patient and clinical information — with medical schemes, referring providers, laboratories and others involved in your care — is explained fully in our Patient Privacy Policy.

How long we retain your data

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so that we can recognise and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

For users who register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All such users can see, edit or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

Website analytics data is kept for a limited period (typically up to two years). Retention of your patient records and other personal information is set out in the full Patient Privacy Policy: medical records are kept for a minimum of seven years after your last consultation, in line with HPCSA requirements.

What rights you have over your data

Under POPIA you have the right to access your personal information, correct it, object to its processing, request its deletion in certain circumstances, restrict processing, receive your data in a portable format, and withdraw consent.

If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal or security purposes.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Information Officer at info@eqhmedical.co.za. The full Patient Privacy Policy explains how each right works and the timeframes that apply.

Where your data is sent

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam-detection service. Our website and some of our service providers may store or process data on servers outside South Africa. Where information is transferred across borders, we do so in line with POPIA’s requirements for cross-border transfers.

How we protect your information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including access controls, secure transmission of electronic communications, and confidentiality obligations for all staff. Further detail on our security measures is provided in the full Patient Privacy Policy.

Complaints

If you have a concern about how we handle your personal information, please contact our Information Officer first at info@eqhmedical.co.za. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator:

• Website: www.inforegulator.org.za
• Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za
• Telephone: 010 023 5200

Complaints about medical ethics or professional conduct may be directed to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) at www.hpcsa.co.za.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, technology or our practices. The latest version will always be posted on this page with an updated date.

Full Patient Privacy Policy

Full Patient Privacy Policy (POPIA)

This page summarises how we handle information collected through our website. For the complete account of how we collect, use, share, protect and retain your personal and health information as a patient (including your full rights under POPIA). Please download our comprehensive Patient Privacy Policy.