400 cases of corruption filed against doctors and other healthcare providers by the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) are being investigated.
These cases affect the cooperation of the members of this fund and those who provide health care.
This was revealed by the officials of this fund yesterday, when they appeared before the committee of the Ministry of Public Works and Administration, in Parliament.
GEMS complained that annually, it loses between R3 billion to R9 billion due tocorruption, abuse and misuse of medical aid.
The officer in charge of corruption in GEMS, Mr. Ishmael Mohapi, said that last year they investigated 399 healthcare providers, who stole R1.3 billion from this fund last year alone.
“We have filed 413 cases with the police in the past years, the investigation is going fast. We have been able to recover R11.7 million from this fund,” he said.
Mohapi said they continue to open cases as they report health providers to the councils that control them.
“We are using technology to fight corruption because it is difficult to identify corruption as there is cooperation between health professionals and GEMS members. We will also teach members about corruption and exploiting medical aid.”
The chief financial officer of this fund, Ms. Karyna Van Lingen, said that the increase in expenses paid by the members of this fund is what led to the increase in the fees paid by members to 9.5%.
We said that annually, GEMS spends R67 billion on expenses while members pay R65 billion annually.
“The costs paid to doctors, private hospitals and specialists are high. In that way, we had to raise money to meet the rising costs every year,” we said.
Unions of government workers marched GEMS demanding that it reduce the increase in money, fire the board of this fund and conduct an investigation into the money paid by the members of this board.
Members of Parliament have sympathized with government employees, who are complaining about the increase in their pay since the beginning of the year.
Ms. Sixolise Gcilishe, a member of Parliament, said that the board members should be appointed to listen to the workers.
“There must be a new board that will listen to the workers’ complaints. You don’t consider the members by raising money so much when government workers can’t even get a 10% salary increase.”
Another member, Ms. Gugulethu Mchunu, complained that members are always complaining about not being authorized to go to hospitals because there is no money.
Mrs. Reneilwe Pholwane, a member of Parliament, expressed her displeasure that GEMS increased the fee.
“It makes me sweat the fact that you increased the money so much. You don’t consider the workers who are already burdened.”
The Minister of Public Works and Administration, King Mzamo Buthelezi, revealed that he rejected the increase in money made by GEMS.
Buthelezi said that he is not the one who approves the increase of money but it is done by the GEMS board.
GEMS stated that negotiations with labor unions are ongoing regarding the increase in fees.