GAUTENG HEALTH FACES 480 MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE CLAIMS

The Gauteng Health Department faces 480 medical negligence legal claims that have been laid in the past three years.

This is revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Ntombi Mekgwe in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng legislature.

Twenty percent of the cases are set down for trial in 2012 while 70% are being investigated and 10% are on appeal.

Last year the department lost all ten medical negligence cases in court. According to Mekgwe, R38 million is still to be paid to complainants in terms of rulings made by the court. This compares with R27.2 million paid out in the previous three years.

Mekgwe admits that the legal administration officers and the two internal medical advisors who deal with all these cases are "overwhelmed" and more staff are to be appointed to assist in this matter.

There has been a huge increase in compensation awards made by the courts.

The Department needs to take drastic steps to improve the quality of health care as I fear there will be many more claims in future and huge pay-outs will hit the health budget hard.

Statement issued by Jack Bloom MPL, DA Gauteng Health Spokesman, May 31 2012

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