Central SA
NW Health to scrutinise use of private EMRS during summit─── LUCKY NKUYANE 11:00 Wed, 11 Dec 2019
The North West Department of Health is expected to scrutinise the ideas and all possibilities of cutting down its reliance on the private service provider, Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS).
This as the department will hold a one-day EMRS summit in Rooigrond in Mahikeng on Wednesday 11 December. The departmental spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane, says this is also to improve emergency services in the province.
He says the department looks to grow its fleet and centralise EMRS communication. This comes after the department was heavily marred by the issues of irregular contracts with the controversial and the notorious Gupta-linked company, Mediosa, and Bhutelezi EMS.
In 2018, OFM News reported that the department was embroiled in a legal battle with Mediosa after the company was paid R30 million in advance.
Mediosa, after not receiving payments from the department, unsuccessfully tried to seize its clinics in North West in August. The MEC for Health, Magome Masike, questioned the accuracy of Mediosa’s invoices. Meanwhile, in April 2019, Lekgethwane told OFM News that the department terminated its multimillion-rand contract with the controversial Buthelezi. Lekgethwane said the contract ended on Sunday 31 March 2019, after three years.
OFM News
