Motsoaledi defends spending R9m on lawyers, says health dept being sued on several fronts over NHI
CAPE TOWN - Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said that his department was being sued on several fronts over the National Health Insurance (NHI) and was forced to hire twelve counsel.
Motsoaledi told the National Assembly that the legal team, which is made up of five senior counsel and seven junior counsel, had been paid R9 million to defend the department's universal health policy and the National Health Insurance Act.
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The minister was responding to questions in the House as part of the social services cluster of ministers.
Minister Motsoaledi was asked by the Democratic Alliance (DA)'s Michéle Clarke why he needed such a big legal team to defend the department at such a cost.
"I would like to ask the minister how he justifies paying for such a huge legal team, given that hospitals can't afford food for patients and overtime for doctors?"
Motsoaledi justified the cost, saying they were facing seven different litigations on two separate but related matters.
"We regard this team as appropriate. The president is suing for only one case. We are sued for seven cases. And this amount of money is those that have been involved in litigation, will know how expensive senior counsel is."
Motsoaledi also told MPs that medico-legal cases due to negligence were another costly burden but were mostly as a result of fraudulent claims.
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