The Inkatha Freedom Party in KwaZulu-Natal believes that the attitude of medical staff is one of the main reasons behind public dissatisfaction with healthcare services and exorbitant medical lawsuits.
“We welcome the announcement by the National Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi to investigate the actions of lawyers who are suing provincial departments of health for billions of rand, but we are of the view that provincial departments especially the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health needs to do more in changing bad attitudes and negligence by some doctors and nurses in many hospitals. Most of the time bad attitude and negligence are major contributing factors to exorbitant medical lawsuits. This is the first thing to address before complaining about unscrupulous lawyers,” said IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Health, Mrs Ncamisile Nkwanyana MPL.
“There is a lot of work to be done and this needs the entire medical sector and general population to work and act together. We expect the KZN Department of Health to take measures to enhance the quality of services and ensure patient satisfaction.
Medical personnel must be mindful of the fact that patients know their rights and will not settle for shoddy or unprofessional treatment. Mistreatment of patients or incorrect diagnosis can have serious negative consequences for the patient and can lead to litigation against the Department. It is our view that medical personnel who have been found to be negligent should be charged and held personally liable. Tax payer’s money should not be used to pay for the negligence of medical staff. concluded Mrs Nkwanyana.
The IFP calls on all law firms not to encourage those who are selling patient’s medical records and to name and shame those who are conning the public purse.
Issued by:
Mrs Ncamisile Nkwanyana MPL
IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Health
078 302 3991