KZN Health to pay out R23,5m

THE KZN Health Department is once again set to pay another massive sum, R23,5 million, this time for a medical negligence claim against them.

This means the burden of a single mother to care for her mentally and physically challenged son has been lifted.

This is believed to be one of the biggest payouts in KZN for a medical negligence claim.

The mother from Pietermaritzburg said a weight has been lifted from her shoulders and added that she prays her attorney, Michael Friedman, be around for a very long time so that others in need can also be helped.

Friedman said his client had waited for 14 long years to be compensated for a travesty that was not of her doing.

He said finally, the woman and her family will be able to give her son a better quality of life.

The woman said the money will used only to care for her son’s needs for the rest of his life.

This means she can now afford to pay for the ongoing physiotherapy and speech therapy her son requires and specialised equipment he needs as well as caregivers.

It will also make life a lot easier as she can now afford a car to ferry him to school and to his various appointments, instead of battling to travel by taxi.

Until now, she has dedicated her own life to taking care of her son and chose not to have any more children so that she could devote herself to his needs.