Gauteng Health is going through financial difficulties so it should not come as a surprise that the sheriff has visited the offices of the Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa to seize furniture and other equipment, writes Eyewitness News. Ramokgopa, said, however, that the department is fully functional.
Eyewitness News reports that the furniture and other equipment were seized in order to pay for a medical negligence claim in which a child suffered brain damage when she was born at the Pholosong Hospital in December 2009.
The Sheriff of the Court has removed two truckloads of furniture to force payment of R6.2m for medical negligence," DA MPL Jack Bloom said in a statement.
He said the equipment included 400 computers, 50 printers, 400 desks, 600 chairs, 200 filing cabinets, 10 fridges, 10 microwaves and three lounge suites.
Ramokgopa says financial problems at the Gauteng Health Department are a serious matter. But she also says the department is functioning and that there are plans in place from Premier David Makhura’s office to help.
“What we’re protecting is patient services to the best of our ability and there’s a process that the premier also announced of supporting the department and other services.”
The report says the department has the second highest medical claims in the country after the Eastern Cape. It has applied to have the Constitutional Court change the law to allow it to pay medical negligence victims with installments or as and when they need medical attention.
[link url="http://ewn.co.za/2017/08/29/gp-health-department-functioning-despite-financial-woes"]Eyewitness News report[/link]