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Launch of Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum

Rot in the woodpile
 On 1 October 2019 President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the Health Sector Anti-Corruption Forum (HSACF).  The noble objectives are to “fight against fraud and corruption in the health sector who will together prevent, detect and prosecute fraud and corruption”. 

Among its members are the National Prosecutions Authority, SA Police Service, Special Investigations Unit and Health Professions Council (HPCSA).

However, already there’s rot in the anti-corruption woodpile.  Putting aside that the NPA is in a continual state of paralysis, what Sunday Times columnist Barney Mthombothi called “chaos and incompetence” among his severe criticism of Ramaphosa (18/08/2019).  Ditto for SAPS and HPCSA, which itself is touched by the stink of corruption.

In 2015 the minister of health said the HPCSA is “in a state of dysfunction”.  The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is investigating bribes for medical registrations and exam passes that whistleblowers reported.  In a TV interview CEO/registrar Dr Raymond Billa said it’s a “credible organisation [sic]”, and in an email to me this year that it’s purportedly an “advocate for the public”.  But it’s strange he didn’t know about the alleged corruption.

On 27 August 2019 I deposed a statement of criminal complaint against the HPCSA and its Third Committee of Preliminary Inquiry indirectly implicating Billa for his failure to heed my earlier warnings about a case before it (we were the complainant).  

The head of detectives at the local police station declined to accept it and interrogated me for wanting to do so, and NPA, a member of the HSACF, in an email yesterday told me to take it up with SAPS, i.e. they're declining to take the complaint too despite being a member of the HSACF.  

 The old musical chairs one-two of the country’s criminal justice agencies washing their hands of politically sensitive problems and denying service and justice.

While good-intentioned, the HSACF is another grand but meaningless gesture the public has come to expect from the president – this one and his predecessor – and government.  

Postscript

On October 28 I opened a criminal case against the HPCSA at Woodstock Police Station. They were reluctant, but after almost an hour of arguing the case, did so.

However, two days later the detective assigned the case told me they were still awaiting a response to their official request from the NPA if they can proceed or combine it with a related one – my mother's case from 2017 (see in this blog). In other words, it's not officially opened, waiting NPA approval.

In an tacit acknowledgement the NPA and criminal justice system is dysfunctional and failing victims, he said they're trying to help but advised me to hire a lawyer to push it with the NPA and launch a civil action to get "closure". See here for a full report.  (Postscript added 3/11/2019.) 

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