The Gauteng Provincial Treasury has given the greenlight to the Health department to collect outstanding monies from employees who have made use of its services but have failed to pay for them.

The move was on Monday commended by the Democratic Alliance (DA), which also called for a broader cost recovery programme.

“The DA encourages this move and hopes that this cost recovery programme is extended to other departments so that funds from negligent contractors and shoddy service providers can be returned to the fiscus and be put to meaningful use,” said Adriana Randall DA MPL, Gauteng, in a statement.

A presentation by the Gauteng health department on revenue collection, revealed that the department is owed R342.6-million of which self-paying patients that include government officials owe R46.1-million.

As part of a cost recovery programme, employees who owe the department money will now have these amounts debited from their salaries to ensure that funds are available for members of the public who cannot afford these services.