‘Colluding lawyers’ in law society’s sights

THE Law Society of South Africa (LSSA) has promised to take action against lawyers implicated in fleecing the state of billions of rand in medical claims.

The society said yesterday it was willing to work with Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi to root out lawyers involved in the practice.

The provincial departments of health complained to Parliament last week that they had been slapped with massive legal claims amount- ing to billions of rand.

They accused the lawyers of stealing files from patients, going to healthcare facilities and early childhood development centres to look for children with cerebral palsy to lodge claims against the state, and also collusion.

MPs heard that medical claims had risen from R28 billion to R43bn in a year.

The law society’s co-chairperson Mvuzo Notyesi said: “The LSSA is concerned about the reports relating to attorneys. However, the LSSA has consistently said that legal practitioners cannot ‘ manufacture’ malpractice injuries; these are substantiated by experts and then by the courts.

“If there is alleged collusion between medical professionals and legal practitioners, as well as a downgrading of standards to create an opportunity for collusion, this must be reported to the relevant statutory provincial law society and to the law enforcement agencies.

“This is regarded as serious misconduct by the profession and by the courts.”

Notyesi said they had al- ways maintained it was the duty of the lawyers to help victims of negligence in hospitals.

The victims of medical malpractice were often the poor and vulnerable, and must be assisted.

Notyesi said victims of medical malpractice must be assisted properly and get fair compensation.

He said they had been asking to meet with Motsoaledi over the matter for some time.

Motsoaledi has offered to intervene in the matter between provincial departments and the lawyers after the former complained to MPs last week.

MPs warned that the matter needed urgent attention from Motsoaledi and they must investigate lawyers involved in malpractice.

Notyesi said they would also like to meet the joint committees on health and appropriations, which conducted the hearings in Parliament last week.

The law society wanted to clarify all the matters and ensure that issues were resolved where there were concerns.