Pretoria - The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) has suspended general manager of compliance and investigations Stephen Mmatli "following tip-offs related to his conduct in the affairs of the regulator", the council announced on Sunday.
"A whistle-blower alleged that Mmatli deliberately misled the regulator of the medical schemes industry to take decisions in favour of certain organisations. He allegedly benefited financially in return. The seriousness of the allegations warranted his suspension as a precautionary measure to enable the regulator to conduct the investigation without any interference," the CMS said in a statement.
“The Council for Medical Schemes is committed to conducting the regulatory affairs of the health sector with the highest degree of ethics, integrity, and compliance with corporate governance. Ethics and compliance with laws are vital to CMS’s success," CMS acting registrar and CEO Dr Sipho Kabane said.
“Therefore, I have served Stephen Mmatli with a letter of precautionary suspension with full pay pending the outcome of investigations into serious acts of misconduct. As we intend to investigate these allegations, I believe a precautionary suspension is in the best interest for both parties,” Kabane said.
“I made this decision to reinforce our commitment to good corporate governance. Our code of ethics and conduct reflects this commitment and provides all employees with the policies that govern our sector and the tools necessary to make good decisions.”
The CMS’s mandate was always to "protect the interests of members, control, and coordinate the functioning of schemes in a manner that is complementary with national policies and investigate complaints and settle disputes in relation to the affairs of schemes as provided for by medical legislation and we will continue to uphold this mandate", he said.