Healthcare News South Africa

Ramaphosa puts national and provincial health departments under SIU investigation

President Ramaphosa has authorised the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration in the affairs of the national and all provincial health departments and to recover any financial losses suffered by the State or the departments through civil litigation.
Source: Pixabay.
Source: Pixabay.

The SIU investigation will focus on unlawful or improper conduct by claimants or applicants in respect to medical negligence claims that were fraudulent, improper or unlawful by any person or entity that unduly benefited themselves or any other person.

The SIU will also investigate any irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by institutions or the State.

The probe will cover claims that took place between 1 January 2013 and 22 July 2022, the date of the proclamation (Proclamation R.74 of 2022) or which took place prior to 1 January 2013 or after the date of publication of this proclamation, but is relevant to, connected with, incidental or ancillary to the matters investigated or involve the same persons, entities or contracts investigated.

The investigation into allegations of corruption and maladministration in the affairs of the national and all provincial health departments forms part of a series of five new proclamations signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa authorising the SIU to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration in the affairs of 11 government departments, Newcastle Municipality in KwaZulu Natal, South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) and South African Council of Educators (SACE), and to recover any financial losses suffered by the State as a result of negligence or corruption.

Eleven government departments covered under the new proclamations include the National Department of Health, all provincial departments of health and the KwaZulu Natal Department of Transport.

To read more about the investigations read here.

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