Less than 17% of all Compensation Fund claims processed in 2009

In response to a parliamentary question posed by the DA, it has been revealed by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, that the Commissioner for Occupational Injuries and Diseases has processed less than 17% of all claims it received in 2009 - and that this has been the pattern over most of the past five years.

The Commission is supposed to provide cover for medical expenses for workers injured on duty, and all employers contribute to the fund. This reply is a shocking indictment of a government institution mandated to protect workers.

9 747 certificates qualifying individuals for benefit payments were sent to the Commissioner in 2009. But only 1 629 of these were processed. Many of these injuries were sustained by low-income workers who cannot afford to subsidize their own medical expenses.

There is no defence for this shocking level of neglect of such a vulnerable group. These applicants have been injured while contributing to society.

The excuse that literacy levels are to blame is invalid - there are multiple ways to contact an injured worker, and the Commission should be using creativity and initiative to do so instead of simply accepting problems as fact. This is its job, after all. The response just goes to show that actual service delivery is nowhere on the priority list of the Commissioner.

The Minister states that it takes between three and four months to process a claim. Why exactly does it take so long, when it has already been certified that the person was injured at work by the time the Commission receives the claim? It is also obvious that more claims would be paid out if the time taken for processing was faster - it would be easier to contact the applicant if the claim is processed quickly.

This reply calls into question what exactly the Commissioner and his staff are being paid for. The DA will call on the Commissioner to explain before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health how this dismal level of poor service has been allowed to develop and what will be done about it.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR WRITTEN REPLY

QUESTION NO. 597

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 05 March 2010

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 6)

Mrs S P Kopane (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

(1) For each of the five most recent specified years for which information is available, (a) how many (i) certificates qualifying for benefit payments were received by the Commissioner for Occupational Injuries and Diseases and (ii) of these were processed and (b) how long did it take on average to process a claim;

(2) whether his department identified problems with delayed payments; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what action has been taken to address these problems;

(3) whether the position of the compensation commissioner has been advertised; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) when, (b) how many applications were received and (c) what decision was made about making an appointment?

NW713E

REPLY:

(1) (a) (i) The Compensation Commissioner received the following number of certificates qualifying for claim:

(ii) The following number of claims were processed:

(b) It takes on average approximately three to four months to process a claim.

(2) The main challenge of the Commissioner's office is the means of communication with persons who have been certified to be suffering from occupational disease. Since the only means of communication with these persons is the address that has been provided when they are examined, in most cases at their place of employment, it becomes a challenge to communicate with them once separated with their employers.

The other challenge is the literacy levels of mineworkers. Application forms are returned incomplete and this results in delays to finalise claims.

The Department has however in partnership with the National Institute of Occupational Health and the National Union of Mineworkers embarked on awareness campaigns to educate the mineworkers through their employee representatives regarding their rights to benefits in terms of the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act, 78 of 1973.

The Department has also in the recent past vigorously capacitated provincial departments of health by means of workshops and donated equipments such X-ray machines to facilitate benefit medical examinations. However, the Department acknowledges that much more needs to be done to create awareness especially to active and ex-mineworkers regarding occupational diseases and compensation.

(3) The position of the Compensation Commissioner was upgraded from Deputy Director to Director level in 2008.

(a) Yes, the post of the Compensation Commissioner was advertised on the 18 January 2009;

(b) twenty-four (24) applications were received;

(c) Four (4) candidates were short-listed and the interviews were conducted on 26 May 2009. One suitable candidate was selected and recommendations were made to the Minister, however the successful candidate subsequently declined the offer. Interim measures have been put in place, in which:

·  the chairperson of the Audit Committee will extend her role of oversight to the CCOD on management and Corporate Governance issues;

·  a head-hunted Senior Manager will be employed on a 1 year contract as the Acting Commissioner effective from the 1 April 2010;

·  the Financial Manager from the NDOH will be seconded to the CCOD with effect from 01 April 2010 at Deputy Director level on a six-month contract, renewable; and

·  the post won't be advertised until further notice.

Statement issued by Andrew Louw, MP, Democratic Alliance shadow minister of labour, March 31 2010

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