NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 2038
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 16 AUGUST 2013
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 27)
Mrs H S Msweli (IFP) to ask the Minister of Health:
(1) (a) How many lawsuits for medical malpractice and/or negligence are
currently pending against his department and (b) what amount has his
department spent on medical malpractice lawsuits since 1 January 2009;
(2) how many cases of medical negligence were reported to his department
in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012?
NW2453E
REPLY:
I wish to refer the Honourable Member to the response I recently furnished
to the Question posed by Honourable S P Kopane (copy attached as Annexure
1) on this matter.
END.
ANNEXURE 1
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 627
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 28 MARCH 2013
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 10)
Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:
(1) How many claims were instituted against his department (a) in the (i)
2007-08, (ii) 2008-09, (iii) 2009-10, (iv) 2010-11 and (v) 2011-12
financial years and (b) during the period 1 April 2012 up to the
latest specified date for which information is available;
(2) in respect of each specified financial year, (a) what amount was
claimed, (b) how many claims were (i) finalised in court, (ii) settled
out of court and (iii) are still outstanding and (c) what amount has
been paid to each plaintiff in each case that was (i) finalised in
court and (ii) settled out of court?
NW786E
REPLY:
The challenge raised by the above Parliamentary Question, in our view, will
not be surmounted by the submission of raw numbers and figures of
statistical data which in itself may not be accurate or provide any useful
context. The issue of the escalation of medico-legal claims and associated
legal costs is the top priority of the Department as the same is viewed as
posing a serious threat to the survival of both public and private health.
As a response to this challenge, I have set up a Medico Legal Task Team to
investigate the root causes and make recommendations on the policy options.
In addition to this ongoing research I have sensitized Cabinet on the
medico-legal claims and legal costs crises. I will only be able to shed any
light on the matter after the team has finalised its work.
END.