DA laments millions paid to ‘unemployed’ Cuban doctors

The Gauteng Health Department allegedly paid over R3.9 million for seven Cuban doctors who have since left South Africa.

This is contained in a written reply to a question posed by the DA’s Jack Bloom in the Gauteng Legislature.

Bloom says the doctors were part of a group of 28 medical professionals hired in 2020 to combat COVID-19.

He says the contracts of the seven Cuban doctors in question were irregularly extended for another year and that the doctors continued receiving salaries without working until May 2022.

Bloom described the revelation as shocking.

“Its really appalling that the Gauteng Health Department paid seven Cuban doctors R3.9 million for the entire year while they are back home in Cuba. It shows this massive thing of incompetence by the Gauteng Health Department as well as probable corruption. This needs to stop because we are wasting amounts of money while people suffer in our hospitals.”

Meanwhile, a few months ago, the DA complained about the Department paying about R14 million for Cuban doctors every year despite local doctors facing huge levels of unemployment.

Gauteng Health spending millions of rands per year on Cuban doctors: Jack Bloom weighs in