KZN oncology crisis: DA to lay charges against Motsoaledi, Dhlomo
The Minister of Health and KZN Health MEC could be brought before a court on culpable homicide charges.
The DA's Patricia Kopane says she'll be heading to Point Police Station on South Beach this morning, along with the party's KZN spokesperson on Health, Imran Keeka.
"We will be laying charges against the national Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and provincial Minister Sbongiseni Dhlomo for the death of more than 300 people who were denied oncology services in KZN," she says.
A damning Human Rights Commission report found that our province's Health Department failed cancer patients by - among other things - not addressing the staffing crisis and ensuring that cancer treatment machines are well-maintained.
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Kopane says they want the Minister and MEC to be held accountable for the delay in treatment.
"The report clearly says any cancer patient in KZN waits for about five months before they can see an oncologist. While the cancer is metastasizing, they wait for about eight months before they can get any onco-therapy treatment - that is radiation and chemotherapy," she says.
MEC Dhlomo said recently that Varian, the manufacturer of Addington Hospital's oncology machines, will now be responsible for ensuring the machines are functioning properly.
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