Lawsuits cost health billions

Investigations stop R3 billion in fraudulent claims, parliament hears.

- Sandiso Phaliso

Payments of of medical related legal claims against the department of health ballooned to R2.7 billion last year.

In 2013, it was R265 million, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) told the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa).

SIU head advocate Andy Mothibi told Scopa last week it found evidence of collusion between attorneys, touts, nurses and doctors in both public and private health care.

Some law firms also withdrew claims when the SIU started investigating them. This had stopped about R3 billion in fraudulent claims, he said.

Claims under investigation included those targeting families with children born with cerebral palsy, false claims of medical malpractice in state hospitals and collusion between state health care workers and rogue lawyers to unlawfully secure private medical records to initiate claims against the government.