Health MEC in witch-hunt claim
2008-07-05 14:40
Durban - KwaZulu-Natal's health MEC Peggy Nkonyeni was on Friday accused by the Treatment Action Campaign of orchestrating a "witch-hunt" against two rural doctors.
The organisation has also accused her of breaching the National Health Act by publicising the private details of one of the doctors and said the department had "handed over original confidential patient records to a private company".
The TAC made the accusations in a newsletter issued on Friday, which followed a press conference on Wednesday when the organisation claimed the MEC had failed to honour a promise to hold meetings with the TAC and the Rural Doctors Association of South Africa.
The two doctors - Colin Pfaff and Mark Blaylock - work at the Manguzi Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal's remote Umkhanyakude district on the border of Mozambique.
Pfaff ended up in hot water with the department earlier this year after he collected private funds to implement dual therapy to prevent mother-to-child HIV/Aids transmission, and using private funds a few months before it became provincial policy to do so.
A task team was established to investigate Blaylock for "allegations of racism, ill-treatment of staff and abuse of departmental facilities".
The organisation accused Nkonyeni of instigating an investigation by the provincial treasury to "probe the disposal of donor funding," as well as threatening to take legal action against the TAC's KwaZulu-Natal coordinator Phillip Mokoena.
Health spokesperson Leon Mbanjwa said: "There is no indication that she is taking legal action. If she wants to because she thinks her name is being dragged through the mud, then that is her choice."
He denied that Nkonyeni had instituted the investigation by the provincial treasury. "The MEC has nothing to do with that."
Referring to Pfaff's suspension earlier this year, he said it was an "employer - employee problem." He also said that Nkonyeni was not refusing to meet the TAC and Rudasa, but that "she is extremely busy".
He said that Nkonyeni was hoping to have a meeting with both organisations on Wednesday following a provincial cabinet meeting.
The KwaZulu-Natal treasury referred all questions to the KwaZulu-Natal health department.
- SAPA