Question NW3611 to the Minister of Health
24 October 2022 - NW3611
Weber, Ms AMM to ask the Minister of Health
(1)Whether, with reference to the reply to question 912 on 14 October 2019, in which he confirmed that the illegal sale of medication and fake doctors was out of control and the fact that the Medicines and Related Substances Act, Act 19 of 1965, is in place to combat the illegal sale of medication from cars and/or any other avenues and the practice of fake doctors for abortions, his department keeps a record of the babies who are aborted at seven to nine months and are found dead or alive in (a) landfill sites, (b) dumping sites, (c) dams and (d) sewage and drains; if not, why not; if so, (2) whether his department follows up on any of the specified cases into how the babies landed at the specified sites; if not, why not; if so, does the investigating process include finding where the babies came from?
Reply:
(1)(a)-(d) The Department of Health does not collect or collate the data of illegal abortions of babies who are aborted at seven to nine months. Any case of dumped or abandoned babies are reported to the police department as criminal records. The department, further does not classify babies that are seen at its facilities into how they were born, such that the record does exist of babies that were either found (a) landfill (b) dumping sites (c) dams (d) sewage or drains.
(2) Department of Heath does not follow up on any of the specified cases into how the babies landed at the specified sites. South African Police Services is mandated to conduct any criminal activity of which dumping the baby is one of them.
END.