The name Zuko Nonxuba has for years been synonymous with the alleged theft of millions of rand, through fraudulent claims from the Eastern Cape health department, on behalf of medical malpractice victims who either did not exist or were never paid what is due to them.
The practice is one of the most shameful financial crimes, abuse of power and betrayal of trust by some in the legal profession.
Nonxuba was suspended from practising as an attorney, after claims of about R350m he made, on behalf of malpractice victims, many of whom live in squalor.
However, as revealed by the Special Investigating Unit (SUI) on Saturday, his case is a microcosm of a practice by established criminal syndicates across the country who have fleeced the state hundreds of millions of rand in medico-legal claims in the last decade.
The practice, according to the SIU, “exploded” after the Road Accident Fund (RAF) tightened its controls.
“In the aftermath, legal practitioners who used to litigate against RAF seem to have migrated en masse to the healthcare sector.”
In Gauteng alone, 611 medico-legal claims with a value of more than R4bn are being investigated.
So far, 40 claims of about R500m have been identified as irregular.
The SIU said 19 of these involved children who had died. Some lawyers claim loss of income while their clients are employed. Others created fictitious injuries to claim compensation.
Most brazen about this crime is the modus operandi of the perpetrators.
These include nurses and doctors who allegedly steal medical records of patients, to ensure that when claims are made through court, there would be no evidence to counter the alleged injuries, thus securing undisputed claims.
This practice has severely cost the public purse and threatens to collapse the state’s ability to provide adequate healthcare at its facilities.
The release of the interim investigation report by the department and the SIU is welcome.
Importantly, the recommendations made therein must be implemented to ensure proper medical record-keeping, especially in digital format, as well as to create a framework that allows transparent interventions before matters go to court.
These interventions would, hopefully, tighten checks and balances in state protocols to prevent money being paid out to unscrupulous practitioners whose criminal conduct should ultimately land them in jail.
SOWETAN SAYS | Stop medico-legal graft
Image: Lulamile Feni/File
The name Zuko Nonxuba has for years been synonymous with the alleged theft of millions of rand, through fraudulent claims from the Eastern Cape health department, on behalf of medical malpractice victims who either did not exist or were never paid what is due to them.
The practice is one of the most shameful financial crimes, abuse of power and betrayal of trust by some in the legal profession.
Nonxuba was suspended from practising as an attorney, after claims of about R350m he made, on behalf of malpractice victims, many of whom live in squalor.
However, as revealed by the Special Investigating Unit (SUI) on Saturday, his case is a microcosm of a practice by established criminal syndicates across the country who have fleeced the state hundreds of millions of rand in medico-legal claims in the last decade.
The practice, according to the SIU, “exploded” after the Road Accident Fund (RAF) tightened its controls.
“In the aftermath, legal practitioners who used to litigate against RAF seem to have migrated en masse to the healthcare sector.”
In Gauteng alone, 611 medico-legal claims with a value of more than R4bn are being investigated.
So far, 40 claims of about R500m have been identified as irregular.
The SIU said 19 of these involved children who had died. Some lawyers claim loss of income while their clients are employed. Others created fictitious injuries to claim compensation.
Most brazen about this crime is the modus operandi of the perpetrators.
These include nurses and doctors who allegedly steal medical records of patients, to ensure that when claims are made through court, there would be no evidence to counter the alleged injuries, thus securing undisputed claims.
This practice has severely cost the public purse and threatens to collapse the state’s ability to provide adequate healthcare at its facilities.
The release of the interim investigation report by the department and the SIU is welcome.
Importantly, the recommendations made therein must be implemented to ensure proper medical record-keeping, especially in digital format, as well as to create a framework that allows transparent interventions before matters go to court.
These interventions would, hopefully, tighten checks and balances in state protocols to prevent money being paid out to unscrupulous practitioners whose criminal conduct should ultimately land them in jail.
Attorneys withdraw claims for deceased clients
Former SIU boss Sifiso Kunene to spend four years in jail over theft of trust account money
READER LETTER | Medical negligent payouts strain healthcare
READER LETTER | Medical negligence claims out of control
30 doctors found guilty of misconduct in a year
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos