No more funds to treat foreigners says Gauteng health MEC. The Gauteng health department has sent letters of demand to foreign embassies as it tries to recover monies from foreign nationals who failed to settle their bills.
The Gauteng department of health needs alternative funding to deal with high volumes of foreigners who are treated in the province’s hospitals, straining its already tight budget.
Tomorrow, finance MEC Barbara Creecy is expected to deliver her provincial budget after giving the health department the biggest slice of the cake for the first time last year.
The troubled department received R46.4bn, about 38% of the total budget for the 2018/2019 financial year.
The budget represented an increase of R4.4bn, followed by education at R3.4bn. It was the first time in Gauteng history that the biggest allocation did not go to education. The department also faces medical negligence litigation, which was about R20bn last year.
Gauteng health MEC
Continue reading…
