In October 2003 the NIOH became part of the National Health Laboratory Services and became the National Institute for Occupational Health. In terms of the Occupational Diseases in Mines & Works Act: Act 78 of 1973, the Pathology division continues to carry out the statutory requirement of examining the cardio-respiratory organs of deceased miners.

The post mortem service is utilized by 80% of families of men who die while in mining service. To increase the efficiency of the compensation process, the NIOH, Mines Bureau for Occupational Diseases and Compensation Commissioner for Occupational Diseases are linked by a web-based computer network.

The system rationalizes and combines the information and the communications systems of the National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH), the Medical Bureau for Occupational Disease (MBOD) and the Compensation Commissioner for Occupational Disease (CCOD) in order to provide a reliable service for compensating mine workers and beneficiaries for disease suffered while employed at a mine.

The system integrates the processes and information used in the three organizations (NIOH, MBOD, and CCOD) and spans the entire compensation process from registration and examination to certification and payment. The system enables the process by routing tasks to the appropriate role players, and ensures that all the steps were taken for a specific task before it can be forwarded to the next.

The system includes access control that ensures a specific user will only be able to access information, services and functionality based on the rights assigned to them.

For more Information about the Compensation Service , contact:

1. MBOD related queries:  Doreen Leseyane Doreen.Leseyane@health.gov.za
2. Pathology contact person for follow up on autopsies: Palesa Mazibuko (PalesaM@nioh.ac.za )