Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has called for the Mediosa contract to be scrapped, adding that it is a service that is not needed in South Africa.
“I ask that this service be terminated forthwith. Whoever entered into this contract must find a way to terminate it because it is not a service that South Africa needs at all,” said Minister Motsoaledi on Friday.
The Minister addressed media in the North West after a walkabout as part of the investigations into the procurement of the Mediosa clinics by the provincial government.
Mediosa workers are currently on strike because they haven’t been paid their salaries by the medical services company.
The Minister came out guns blazing, calling the mobile clinics an ATM for the Gupta family, who are said to have had a hand in the procurement of the mobile clinic.
“I must express my deepest disappoint at the turn of events because this was not supposed to happen in our country. The service looks very state-of-the-art but this is a service that we don’t need at all.
“The health service in South Africa does not need this service at all. In fact, I don’t think I would be wrong if I was to categorise it as an ATM card through which the Guptas are withdrawing money from the Department of Health,” said the Minister.
Just last week, the North West Provincial Legislature’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) held a marathon meeting where it grilled officials from the department on a R30 million pre-payment that was made to Mediosa before the delivery of services.
Following the SCOPA meeting, North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo called for a probe into the allegations that the health department procured the mobile clinics without following the correct procurement procedures.
Minister Motsoaledi said with the Finance Minister calling for departments to tighten their purse strings, it is imperative that not a single cent is left to waste, especially for an essential service like health.
“At a time when our health service is in dire straits and our health service is overburdened because of the explosion of diseases under a tight budget, we need to save each and every cent. We don’t have any spare money to do what is being done here,” said Minister Motsoaledi.
North West Health MEC Magome Masike was not present at the Minister’s walkabout due to family commitments.
According to the Minister, the MEC has asked the Head of Department (HOD), Thabo Lekalakala “to take leave” pending further investigations levelled against him.
Premier Mahumapelo’s office, however, confirmed in a statement last week that the Premier signed permissions for the HOD’s trip to India, which took place after the procurement of the ambulances following recommendations by the MEC. – SAnews.gov.za
