The Provincial Department of Health could end up paying more than R130 million in medico-legal and civil claims.
|||Cape Town - The provincial Department of Health could end up paying more than R130 million in medico-legal and civil claims if litigation against its health workers is successful.
According to the 2011/2012 report, new claims worth R62.3m relating to botched medical treatment and procedures were registered during this period, while civil and legal claims amounted to R1.1m. Just over 9 300 medico-legal cases were admitted during the year under review.
The report, which was discussed by the standing committee on community development and the standing committee on public acccounts on Friday, also revealed that there was an increase in cases of corruption, nepotism, fraud, financial and human resource irregularities at the department, with 83 cases relating to the department appearing on the forensic investigating unit’s (FIU) register.
Some 60 people were dismissed during the 2011/2012 financial year due to theft, bribery and absenteeism. Four were staff members who were dismissed for alleged fraud that amounted to almost R3m.
The auditor-general’s report stated that of the 83 cases referred to the FIU, 27 relating to alleged corruption, financial irregularities, procurement fraud and theft were investigated between July 2006 and January 2012. Twenty-one were deemed as fraud or irregular while six were cleared.
About 30 cases, which were lodged between January 2010 and March 2012, have not been investigated yet, 18 cases were currently under investigation and eight cases had been referred back to the department.
Although the department had developed the compliance monitoring instrument, which put focus on compliance with laws and regulations, the auditor-general’s report said it was “evident from the extent of non-compliance relating to procurement and contract management that full adherence to the instrument had not yet been established by the department throughout all institutions”.
During the discussion of the report, the department was also quizzed on its policy for the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI), which contradicted that of the national Department of Health.
While the department supports some aspects of NHI, which was to improve quality of service in the public health-care sector, Health MEC Theuns Botha said the province supported universal health for all - a model which was already used in the province that stressed partnerships with the private sector.
Botha told the committee that the department had communicated the province’s model to the national Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi who backed a pilot operation in the Western Cape.
sipokazi.fokazi@inl.co.za
Cape Argus