Auditor-General flags weak accountability as health sector audit outcomes slip

The Auditor-General has raised concerns about the weakening accountability in South Africa's health sector, as audit outcomes have deteriorated in 2025-26. The report highlights the prevalence of repeat findings and billions in medico-legal claims, which strain budgets and compromise patient care. Gauteng province, for example, received a qualified opinion after having achieved an unqualified result the previous year, with five out of ten departments receiving qualifications.

The Auditor-General attributes the weak accountability to a culture of inadequate ownership of controls, limited consequences for non-performance, and a reactive approach to governance. Fiscal pressures from medico-legal claims, which amounted to R50.2 billion in 2025-26, are diverting funds intended for goods, services, and medical supplies towards litigation settlements.

This not only hampers the delivery of quality healthcare services but also results in patients having to travel farther and at greater cost to access basic surgical and maternity services. The Auditor-General recommends that departments implement robust processes to independently assess and regularly review the valuation of medico-legal claims, and that executives own every repeat finding with quarterly accountability reviews introduced.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Citizen's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.