OFM News earlier reported on a statement issued by the Democratic Alliance in the province’s Andrew Louw who said he was concerned that this steep figure would affect the Department’s budget and even said that he felt that the money could have been better used for service delivery related issues. 

In a written statement issued to OFM News, the Department revealed that in 2018, the Department had about 19 summonses that were issued against it.

The Department could not state how many cases were settled out of court or how many claims it had paid out thus far, or the total value of these. It, however, was able to confirm that some had already been settled out of court. It further said that cases were only settled out of court based on each case’s merits as well as the medical and legal expert evaluations that came with each one. It also remained positive, despite how bleak matters look, as it further stated that it also made good progress and saved a lot of money through the Medico-Legal Project Team, which it had been using to deal with some of the cases.

The Department would not state what the cases levelled against them were about but stated that many of these related to incidents that happened several years ago. Many of these are in relation to cerebral palsy cases the department had in 2004. Allegations stated that children born in hospitals contracted the illness owing to medical negligence. “The Department has since established clinical governance structures in facilities to ensure adherence to health protocols and proactive preventative measures are been put in place,” the statement read.

OFM News