THE very system that’s supposed to lead the fight against Covid-19 to protect the people is in a terrible condition itself.
Corruption Watch yesterday released the report “X-Ray: The critical state of the health sector in SA”, exposing cases of corruption at hospitals and public health facilities.
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It said since its establishment in 2012, it received about 700 reports of corruption relating to health, with a devastating impact on people receiving basic healthcare services.
Cases include misuse of funds, as well as procurement problems resulting in shortages of medication, as well as patients being pressured to pay bribes for services.
Employment corruption makes up 39% of cases, followed by procurement corruption at 22% and misuse of resources at 16%.
The organisation said with employment, this shows as absenteeism, claims of nepotism and favouritism, resulting in the appointment of unsuitable candidates with no accountability for employment decisions.
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Cases of employment corruption were highest in Northern Cape at 55%, followed by Mpumalanga at 51%, and KZN at 36%.
The report said procurement corruption takes the form of inflated pricing, irregularities in awarding of tenders, preferential treatment of suppliers and kickbacks.
Most cases of procurement corruption were reported in Limpopo, Free State and Western Cape. Misappropriation of resources cases involved mismanagement of funds and use of state resources for own benefit.
Researcher and author of the report Melusi Ncala said the outcome of these corrupt activities is shortages of medication, lost or damaged equipment and illegal pressure on state resources.
Ncala said criminals occupy halls, offices, wards and dispensaries and are thieving from depots.“In the end, almost 50 million people’s right to life amounts to nothing.”
