Health Department in ICU – statement by Mr Bongani Msomi (UDM Secretary General) on 12 September 2013
The United Democratic Movement (UDM) notes the commissioning of a five-person task team to investigate issues in the Eastern Cape relating to the growing health crisis.
It is evident that the Minister does not have his finger on the pulse of the nation’s health, and that this token is definitely too little too late.
To add insult to injury, the setting up of a commission is an exceptionally costly exercise since Minister Motsoaledi is quite aware of the problems facing the Health Department. The UDM suggests that he should have used the department machinery and saved costs, instead of commissioning a task team. This indicates that the ANC led government is in power but not in control.
It seems that the Health Department has been in the ICU for quite some time, and the measures put in place didn’t yield positive results. Even the ANC government’s grand turnaround strategy has failed.
The UDM strongly advises the Minister to ensure that the mandate of the Task Team is broad, and to include an investigation into the identification of officials who looted state resources, to recommend how state coffers can be recovered from these disgraceful officials, and a recommendation as to ways and means of sterilizing the department from corruption officials.
