Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Gauteng health department says a whistleblower paediatrician at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital was never issued with a written warning.
Instead, the department said, Dr Tim de Maayer and officials from the hospital had agreed on warning letter being issued, but that this was never done.
In response to questions in the Gauteng legislature, acting Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said “parties agreed on issuing a written warning”.
But, this never happened.
Spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said: “While parties had at the beggining contemplated issuing a warning letter against Dr De Maayer, this decision was never acted upon as parties had agreed to finally close the matter.”
He said the department considered the “matter closed”.
Alarm raised over backlash against whistleblower doctors, despite Gauteng health department spin
De Maayer was suspended on 10 June after he wrote an open letter to the health department which claimed that the “horrendous conditions in our public hospitals” contributes to children’s deaths.
His suspension caused outrage among his colleagues and academics who are part of the “I Am” movement.
They wrote a letter to Gauteng Premier David Makhura and Health Minister Joe Phaahla in support of De Maayer. Members of the organisation have since met with the minister and the premier.
Nkomo-Ralehoko said hospital CEO Dr Nozuko Mkabayi had decided to discipline the doctor for transgressing the internal communications policy and the public service code of conduct.
DA health spokesperson Jack Bloom said it was unfair that no action had been taken against the hospital CEO.
“Meanwhile, there will be no disciplinary action against the hospital CEO for her vindictiveness against De Maayer, as Nkomo-Ralehoko says ‘the department has not yet established any wrongdoing by the CEO’,” he said.
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