36/1/4/1/201100196
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO 422
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16 SEPTEMBER 2011
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO 29- 2011)
Date reply submitted: 11 October 2011
422. Mrs B Abrahams (DA-Gauteng) to ask the Minister of Police:
Whether the Hawks have launched an investigation into allegations of
medical malpractice with respect to âsurgical innovationsâ as reported to
them and exposed in a certain media report (details furnished); if not, why
not; if so, what are the relevant details?
CW521E
REPLY:
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation is conducting an
investigation of fraud, forgery and uttering involving a close corporation,
Surgical Innovations CC. It is alleged that employees of the firm had been
re-labeling and distributing sterilized surgical equipment to hospitals
fraudulently. Labels of equipment of which the expiry date had gone by,
were removed, new labels with new expiry dates were fixed and the equipment
was then delivered as new.
The matter is under investigation and a Senior State Advocate has already
been appointed in the case.
Reply to question 422 approved by the Minister