Suspected state capture has crippled the already teetering North West Health Department, following a controversial deal with the Gupta-linked Mediosa.
The company had provided the province with four mobile clinics, meant to service residents of rural areas, but are now locked up pending an ongoing legal battle between the company and the department.
The department struck a deal worth R180 million with Mediosa, and had already paid R30 million for the clinics, which later proved to be substandard. It led to the suspension of the HOD, Thabo Lekalakala, and the department being placed under administration by national government.
Many residents of the rural North West have to walk several kilometres to their nearest clinic.
Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, reacted strongly. “I don’t think I’ll be wrong to characterise it as an ATM card through which the Gupta’s are withdrawing money from the department of health. Unfortunately I can’t describe it in any other way,” says Motsoaledi.
Last month, Mediosa tried to take back two of its clinics in Madibogo near Mahikeng, but the provincial department, would have none of it.
Mediosa, which has since been placed under business rescue has invoiced the department another R24 million for services allegedly rendered.
The department disputes this. “We must know whether they owe us or we owe them. We know the villages they went to, we also know the number of people in those villages. So we need to go through the patients they saw, so that we validate and be able to agree as to the amount we owe, subtract it from what we paid them. Until then, we will have a problem releasing the buses,” added Masike.
When the SABC News approached Mediosa’s legal team for comment in July, it said in a written response that they were most perturbed by the department’s actions. Which, they allege, is in breach of contract.
They did not respond to new requests for comment.
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