Legal Articles and Guides
R11m sought over maggots in patient's mouth
The family of Sadek Ebrahim (52) – who died shortly after a video of maggots in his mouth went viral in June last year – are suing the KZN Health Department for R11m.
Zuma sick note failed ethical standards – HPCSA
The sick note provided by former President Jacob Zuma’s medical doctor in support of him being too sick to attend his corruption trial in the KZN High Court (Pietermaritzburg) last week, did not meet the ethical standards laid down in the Health Professions Act.
When a sick note is not enough
‘To understand how reluctant courts are to accept claims of illness on the say-so of a criminal accused or his doctor, one need look no further than the curious case of alleged fraudster Gary Porritt, who failed to convince the court that he was too ill to attend court, despite providing three different doctor’s notes to that effect.’
Silicosis payouts to start soon
Miners who contracted the fatal lung disease silicosis, while toiling in SA’s gold mines, are soon to start receiving compensation. The Minerals Council South Africa announced at the Investing in African Mining Indaba in Cape Town that the first payments should be made in the second quarter of 2020.
Provincial government to pay R11m for girl’s arm
The Eastern Cape Government is paying R11.1m for a bionic arm for Liqhame Stemele (13), whose left hand was amputated in 2012 due to negligence of staff at Mdantsane’s NU9 clinic and the Cecilia Makiwane hospital.
Lawyers targeted again over claims against specialists
Skyrocketing liability claims are among the factors behind an exodus of obstetrician-gynaecologists (ob-gyns) from SA – and once again a finger is being pointed at greedy personal injury lawyers.
Mother who lost twins threatens to sue hospital
A mother who gave birth to twins prematurely at the Tembisa Hospital in October last year is convinced her babies died from an infection caused by the klebsiella bacterium and has accused medical staff of negligence, says a report in The Sunday Independent.
Employees: Your New Rights to Paternity and Parental Leave
The concept of “maternity leave” has been around in our law for a long time, and the journey towards extending the concept to employees other than mothers has been a long one, marked latterly by much delay and confusion over implementation of new legislation addressing the issue.
Discovery denies racial bias in fraud investigations
Discovery Medical Scheme yesterday said its 'disproportionate' investigations into black professions did not conclude that there was 'racial bias' on its part.
Negligence claims against state top R104bn
Claims for medical negligence against the state have more than tripled over the past four years, rising to a staggering R104.5bn in 2019, says a Business Day report.
Listeriosis secrecy an indication of testy stand-off
Tiger Brands’ attempt to hide the identity of its insurer – which is pulling the strings in a class action lawsuit brought by listeriosis victims – has come to nought.
Department ignores birth certificate order
The Department of Home Affairs has ignored a court order compelling it to issue birth certificates to 24 children who live in towns bordering Lesotho without requiring their parents to pay thousands for DNA tests – allegedly because one parent is not South African.
Court gives gay couple equal rights as mothers
A same-sex couple will begin treatment at a fertility clinic with a ground-breaking court order in hand that says they will both be mother to a child who has yet to be conceived.
Student sues after professor cleared of rape
The law student at Unisa who alleged that a professor had raped her – he was cleared after a disciplinary hearing at the university – is challenging the decision in a civil case.
Doctors raise concerns over medical negligence arrests
Following the arrest and court appearance of two Johannesburg doctors – paediatric surgeon Peter Beale (73) and anaesthetist Abdulhay Munshi (56) – who were accused of medical negligence – some doctors are having second thoughts about performing intricate, lifesaving surgical procedures.
