Parliament, Tuesday, 25 August 2026 – The Portfolio Committee on Public Service and Administration will meet with the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) tomorrow to discuss strategies for detecting and preventing fraud and waste.
Members will also discuss GEMS’ quarterly performance for January until June this year.
This follows an earlier meeting with GEMS in March this year, where the committee heard that over the past three years, fraud-related investigations conducted by GEMS amounted to approximately R268 million. In 2025, the scheme identified about 399 practitioners, mostly general practitioners, who submitted claims worth about R1.3 billion. Members heard that investigations found that R42.7 million of these claims were irregular, but only R11.7 million has been recovered. At the time, the committee stressed that fraud and waste undermine the scheme’s ability to provide affordable healthcare to 2.45 million public servants and their dependents. Noting the 418 criminal cases opened over the last five years, the committee also stressed the need for faster prosecutions and better enforcement.
Details of the meeting:
Date: Wednesday, 26 August 2026
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Venue: Virtual meeting platform
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES
For media inquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the Media Officer:
Name: Alicestine October
Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: aoctober@parliament.gov.za
Arrange a tour