KZN Health legal claims worrying: DA
The DA in the province says legal claims against the KZN department of Health have reached crisis proportions.
Earlier this week reports indicated that at least 6 mothers from across the province are suing the department for millions because of their babies born with cerebral palsy, apparently owing to negligence by medical staff.
All women are suing for at least R12 million each in damages.
Earlier this year, Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi told Parliament that nationally they had incurred over a billion rand in legal costs relating to medical malpractice, with KZN having the most number of claims.
The DA's spokesperson on Health in the province, Dr Imraan Keeka, says this is not just one problem of negligence, but a number of smaller other issues interlinked.
"One of the biggest causes of this problem is that there is understaffing at hospitals, critical posts have been frozen in the department and as a result inadequate service is rendered to the women in the province", he said.
"It is natural progression that if the department does not manage this problems properly patients will sue the department for mistakes they made", Keeka said.
All cases have been adjourned to allow the MEC and Health Department to file responding papers.
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