Health service centre for miners

DURING the launch of the One-Stop Health Service Centre in Kuruman yesterday, the Deputy Minister of Mineral Resources, Godfrey Oliphant, said that R1.5 billion had been made available for the compensation of mineworkers who had contracted tuberculosis and occupational lung diseases.

Oliphant was standing in on behalf of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was unable to attend the launch.

The One-Stop Health Service Centre will provide services to both active and ex-mineworkers, where health assessments as well as administrative services for compensation will be conducted.

The centre is being run in partnership with government, the mining industry, organised labour and current and ex-mineworker associations.

The centre will also track eligible previous and current mineworkers who have not claimed their compensation benefits over the last 30 years, after they contracted occupational lung diseases while working on the mines.

Oliphant, who addressed more than 4 000 members of the Kuruman community, said that there was initially an amount of about R1.5 billion available for the compensation of 106 000 unpaid beneficiaries.

“Since the launch of One-Stop Health Service Centres throughout the country, the number of unpaid beneficiaries increased by 8 320.”

He encouraged ex-mineworkers to visit the service centres as well as the mobile centres in order to check the status of their claims and if they are eligible for compensation.

Oliphant stated that government together with various stakeholders would continue to work together to provide health care services to improve the living and working conditions of current and ex-mineworkers.