Negligence claims cost KZN Health R23 billion, a jump of R3 billion | Witness 
Doctors doing a surgery on operating room in a hospital.
The KwaZulu-Natal Health Department’s medical negligence claims, which now account for close to half of the department’s R50 billion budget, increased by a staggering R3 billion last year.
According to Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke, who tabled her 2019/20 annual audit report on Wednesday, medical claims against the department increased from R20 billion in the 2018/2019 financial year to R23 billion in the next year, raising fears that the department was on the verge of a financial crisis.
“This indicates that the department is not implementing adequate steps to prevent claims, thus placing possible further pressure on its finances when these claims become payable,” she said.
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