Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has asked the Treasury Department to investigate the procurement of ambulance services from Buthelezi EMS, a controversial private ambulance company that has been awarded large contracts in the Free State and North West.
Spotlight reports that it has published two articles on alleged overcharging and tender irregularities involving Buthelezi EMS and the North West Health Department as part of its Health4Sale series of investigative articles.
The report quotes Motsoaledi as saying that he wrote to the minister of finance to request that the chief procurement officer at National Treasury investigates the procurement of services from both Buthelezi EMS and the Gupta-linked Mediosa (also known as Cureva) in both the Free State and North West. Motsoaledi stressed that the Treasury investigation is specifically into the procurement processes and suspected corruption. He also confirmed that the investigation has already started.
In terms of medical need, Motsoaledi said that there is no debate at all and that Buthelezi EMS and Mediosa are not adding value and that they are in fact causing more problems. He also said that it is not national policy to use private service providers for emergency medical services. “On my side as health there is nothing to investigate in terms of whether it is serving the health needs etc,” he said. “It is very clear, as clear as daylight, that we do not need this type of service.” 7
A new tender for outsourced private ambulances in the Free State was advertised in October 2017. The report says that the award of that tender has been delayed and that Buthelezi EMS continues to be paid on a month-to-month basis.
Motsoaledi is quoted as saying that he is in daily contact with Free State MEC for Health Butana Komphela about the situation. “I told him it is wrong for them to privatise ambulance services. They must run them on their own. “The plan from my side is that Treasury after this investigation must make a clear ruling that the procurement of private ambulance services should not happen,” he said.
Motsoaledi indicated that a Section 100 intervention whereby the North West and Free State Health Departments would be placed under national administration was not currently being considered. He explained that under Section 100 the political leaders in the province stays in place and that national assumes responsibility without authority. He referred to his experience when the Limpopo Health Department was under Section 100 administration. In that case four provincial heads of department that various national ministers believed should be removed were not removed because only the premier of the province had the authority to remove them.
“In Limpopo we were only able to stabilise the finances because of Treasury, but the human resources we could not touch because that authority does not lie with us,” he said.
The report says the head of the North West Health Department Thabo Lekalakala, implicated in its two-part investigation into emergency medical services in the province, has been suspended by the embattled North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo.
Previously Mahumapelo had refused to heed Motsoaledi’s call to suspend him, placing him on special leave.
Buthelezi EMS netted more than R15m from two suspect backdated price increases from the Free State Health Department, apparently without much scrutiny. Spotlight reports that documents seen reveal how the increases were signed off during a five-day period, when it seems the Free State Health Department was temporarily taken out of administration by decree of then Premier Ace Magashule. According to the report, the Democratic Alliance has said that it will ask the Public Protector to investigate.
[link url="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-04-20-82037/#.WtxogkxuJYd"]Spotlight report[/link]
[link url="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-04-18-north-west-blows-hiv-money-on-controversial-private-ambulance-service-part-1/#.WtnPAC-B0dU"]Health4Sale series part 1[/link]
[link url="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-04-19-spotlight-north-west-pays-double-for-dubious-private-ambulance-service-part-2/#.Wtxo7ExuJYd"]Health4Sale series part 2[/link]
[link url="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-04-25-spotlight-ace-magashule-cleared-way-for-controversial-private-ambulance-company-to-cash-in/#.WuAMKExuJYd"]Spotlight report[/link]