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:
|Year |Number of Certificates |
|2005 |5580 |
|2006 |5325 |
|2007 |3550 |
|2008 |11502 |
|2009 |9747 |
ii) The following number of claims were processed:
|Year |Number of Certificates |
|2005 |570 |
|2006 |378 |
|2007 |1267 |
|2008 |1648 |
|2009 |1628 |
(b) It takes on average approximately three to four months to
process a claim.
(2) The main challenge of the Commissionerâs 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 wonât be advertised until further notice.
END.