HPCSA ombudsman Dr Abdul Barday. Picture: MARTIN RHODES
HPCSA ombudsman Dr Abdul Barday. Picture: MARTIN RHODES

Related articles

In this article

THE Health Professions Council of SA (c) has given the doctors it is charged to regulate the middle finger and it sent the message via the media.

The fight began after the council was found to be in "state of continual dysfunction and chaos" by an in-depth ministerial investigation that released its findings in November.

The six-month investigation was headed by the University of Cape Town’s dean of health sciences‚ Prof Bongani Mayosi. The team‚ set up by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi‚ suggested the council suspend its CEO and chief operating officer‚ who were found to be unfit for office.

The Health Professions Council of SA has said it is not implementing the findings‚ but is conducting its own investigation.

This angered the South African Medical Association (Sama)‚ which represents doctors.

The doctors put out a release asking why the officials who were identified as being incompetent and recommended for suspension remained in office.

"The failure of these officials to resign demonstrates breath-taking arrogance ... considering the damning details contained in the report" said the Sama president Mzukisi Grootboom.

Sama called on Dr Motsoaledi "to exercise his statutory power and suspend the entire structure and appoint an interim management team to oversee the process".

The association also urged council president Dr Kgosi Letlape "as a fellow doctor to demonstrate the requisite ethical leadership required and transform the HPCSA in line with the recommendations of the report".

The council hit back on Wednesday night by issuing a press release criticising Sama for its press release.

Dr Letlape said: "As the HPCSA‚ we had expected that South African Medical Association would raise its concerns first with (the) council before raising them in the media.

"More importantly‚ since this was the minister’s initiative and as courtesy to the minister‚ it was expected that South African Medical Association would engage the minister to request progress made by the HPCSA on the recommendations of the report."

Council spokesperson Priscilla Sekhonyana said it was keeping the minister "abreast on all the developments and actions taken by the HPCSA in respect of the report recommendations".

Among the issues noted by the task team were:

• The fact that the Health Professions Council of SA was too large and needed to be split into one body to regulate doctors and another to regulate other health professionals‚ including physiotherapists‚ speech therapists and paramedics;

• A forensic report by KPMG in 2011 that fingered a former CEO and the council for approving a R30m contract without following tender procedures; and

• The appointment of consultants by a former CEO and the current chief operating officer‚ in his previous capacity as senior manager for legal services, that was also not done according to the HPCSA’s procurement policies.

"These activities amounted to unauthorised‚ irregular‚ fruitless and wasteful expenditure."

The report recommended disciplinary action against the senior manager for legal services‚ but he was instead promoted and is now the chief operating officer.

TMG Digital/The Times