Officials from KZN Health, which faces about R20bn in negligence claims against a total annual budget of R45bn, have briefed the Health Portfolio Committee on the medico-legal crisis it faces.
A multimillion-rand lawsuit against a hospital has laid bare the crisis faced by KwaZulu-Natal Health over medical negligence claims that have gone through the roof, says a report in The Mercury. Greytown Hospital senior management told members of the Health Portfolio Committee that they recently paid R11m in a medical negligence claim as compensation to a patient after a botched medical procedure.
As part of efforts to reduce medico-legal bills, the department has announced that it is establishing a directorate to be responsible for investigating every potential claim, and each medico-legal claim that was lodged against it. The committee members toured the province last month to assess the state of healthcare facilities.
The report says the office of the auditor-general confirmed last month that the department, which had a budget of R45bn, was facing about R20bn in lawsuits.
The department said the increase in medico-legal claims was a global phenomenon that remained a serious concern, as it put severe pressure on its already inadequate budget. “During the 2018/2019 financial year, a total of 450 new medico-legal claims were received, which increased the total number of medico-legal cases to above 2600.”
The department is quoted in the report as saying it was in the process of establishing a panel of lawyers who were going to represent the department in court.
[link url="http://themercury.pressreader.com/@Lucille_Faro10980703/csb_wXgubRG54qKg0UmNaxbGHowGvoYniDMNSUZcjD5N2XNbeWwjmGS4np-41Z7Fkso1"]The Mercury report (subscription needed)[/link]