The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Health in Durban, has hailed the high court ruling that the Gauteng Department of Health will no longer have to pay large sum of cash for negligence at state medical facilities. The future medical needs for victims of poor treatment can be covered by payment in kind, ruled the court.

The medico-legal claims are putting sever pressure on the already stretched budget of KZN Health Department. During 2018/19, a total of 450 medico-legal claims were received, which took the total number of such cases to more than 2600.

It’s a widely known fact in Durban that one of the reasons for this substantial increase in the medico-legal cases and claims is the unethical practice of touting by certain unscrupulous law firms. One firm based in Johannesburg is under investigation for filing on its own 96 cases against the department in just two months.

However professionals like Durban Attorney Michael Friedman, who specialise in medical negligence claims think that the order is no good since the victim will have to go back for the treatment to the same institution that caused the damage in the fist place.