Moonlighting health workers got cut of R2,2 billion pie

NELSPRUIT – The Auditor General (AG) has found that corrupt employees of the provincial Department of Health had milked the system to earn double pay. Some of the staff permanently appointed by the department earns additional income by also working as contract staff through consultants.

This was one of the findings of a report by the AG on the use of consultants in the department which was published last month. The report covered the financial years from 2008/09 to 2010/11.

It was noted that the weaknesses identified were caused largely by a lack of rigorous review processes. Moreover, the work done by consultants was not always monitored and evaluated. The AG found that from 2008-2011 the department spent about R2,2 billion on consultants.

This amounted to the bulk of the provincial government’s total expenditure of about R10 billion on consultants over the period. The report found that the provincial government’s expenditure on consultants amounted to nine per cent of its total operational expenditure and 35 per cent of its spending on goods and services.

According to the breakdown of the total spent on consultants by health, spending on outsourced services, which is defined as the department having the capacity to carry out the service but are not utilising their staff, cost the department R160 million and R227 million in 2009/10 and 2010/11, respectively.

A total of R789 million and R186 million was spent in 2009/10 and 2010/11 on contractors, who provide services not core to the department’s business. Consulting services, used to achieve specific objectives on a time and material basis, cost the department R253 million in 2009/10 and R279 million in 2010/11.

However, the AG found that the spending was not economical, efficient of effective. Key findings included that some permanent staff earned secondary incomes in this way without permission, therefore also working excessive hours. Project objectives were sometimes also not achieved, and deliverables were only partially completed. In addition, strategic planning for the use of consultants was not done, and the department did not have a strategy and policy on the use of consultants.

Mr James Masango, provincial chief Whip of the DA, likened having employees working as consultants was akin to government officials doing business with government. “Working for two employers is unacceptable. Those who did this should be identified and brought to book and be made to pay back the money to the department,” he said.