Four medical depot employees disciplined after three years

Four senior staff member from the Gauteng Health Department‘s medical supply depot received final written warnings more than three years after a forensic report identified procurement irregularities.

This was revealed by Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu in a written reply to shadow MEC for Health Jack Bloom’s questions in the Gauteng Legislature.

Bloom said that according to Mahlangu, a chief director, director, and two deputy directors were suspended precautionarily for procurement irregularities in June 2013, but were only served with charges six months later. Mahlangu, however, denied that there were delays, pointing out that due process was followed, despite only serving the four staff members with final written warnings on 15 October in 2015.

According to Bloom, it was the Former Health MEC Hope Papo who instituted a forensic audit into the medical depot because it was billing the department around R250 million a month, which Papo deemed to be excessive. Bloom added that the audit was only completed in September 2012, and questioned why it took more than three years before the four officials were served with final warnings.

“This is yet another example of extremely slow action on suspected corruption in the department,” he said. Bloom explained that the four officials got off lightly despite Mahlangu’s claims that no amounts were determined to be lost or stolen because of corruption. “Hospital patients throughout Gauteng suffered from medicine shortages for years because of poor administration at the medical depot,” he said.

Bloom noted that currently the pharmaceutical procurement committee included officials from the department’s head office, which he hoped would improve efficiency and prevent corruption in the supply of medicines.

Details: Gauteng Department of Health, 011 355 3503