Admin
15 Aug, 2019
Eastern Cape Legislature: Mr Bongani Mahlati, MPL’s contribution the budget debate on Health
Honourable Speaker, Honourable Premier and Honourable Members of the Executive, Honourable members and government officials, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) is of the view that the budget of R25,189 billion allocated to the department of Health, if it is utilised effectively and efficiently, can go a long way in improving the quality of health services to the people of the Eastern Cape. There is an alarming increase in the number of legal claims against this department as a result of failures to comply with certain procedures laid down in the treatment of patients. This is consuming millions of rands and this department has now become a lucrative business centre of the legal profession. Honourable Speaker, the department cites a 13 % vacancy rate. This unemployment rate is affecting this department because our youth gets frustrated and become the victims of substance abuse and harmful use of alcohol, thus putting strain on the budget of this department. The shortage of medical doctors, nurses and staff general is core problem in this department. Shortage of human resource is the results of working long hours and non-payment of their over time, this will affect the morale of the staff and that will lead to unnecessary protests. The UDM calls the government for the training of more nurses and medical doctors, as well as the provision of porters in hospitals should be addressed as matter of extreme urgency in those hospitals which lack the services of these officers. The Honourable MEC talks of infrastructure backlog dating back to the times of homelands; what have you done over this democracy when you failed to maintain the hospitals built in the homelands. Our hospitals and clinics are dilapidated and we believe it is not because there is no money for maintenance of these properties. What delays the progress is the implication of management and officials in epidemic corruption and maladministration. The UDM is of the view that the department must tighten the security system in our hospitals. Our doctors, nurses and patients are being the victims of rape and robbery.
Admin
23 Jul, 2014
Eastern Cape Health budget
Address by Mr M Mhlati in the Eastern Cape Legislature Honourable Speaker, Honourable Premier and members of the executive and Honourable Members the report of the Committee of the budget of the department of health of which I am part of is fully exhaustive of the issues canvassed with the Department and I fully support findings and recommendations thereof. I would like to implore the department to plan and negotiate timeously with treasury for the absorption of the student nurses into the vacant positions once they complete their training. We have been complaining as Eastern Cape about the shortage of nurses but when we train them we fail to appoint them thus allowing them to seek work in other Provinces who are committed to address the shortages in the nursing profession. The non-filling of senior management positions in the Supply Chain Management Unit is unacceptable as this opens a gap for fraud and corruption to manifest itself unchecked. With regard to the matter of de-complexing it is clear that the resolutions of this Legislature are not taken seriously by the department. This Legislature resolved during the year 2012 on de-complexing but even today, they are still dragging their feet on this matter. We want clear time frames now. The strides made by the department in addressing the accruals is greatly appreciated, treasury must show consistency in what they are promoting. They request Departments to encourage officers to take early pension but on the other side they do not provide funds to Departments to pay out exit benefits. It is scandalous for people who have spent their lives working for government but when they leave they are reduced into beggars. We still have a long way to go to reach the desired level of health care service we aspire for due to the shortage of the Professional Personnel. Even though the envisaged decentralization of powers is supported I would like to warn the Department to take precautions of ensuring that the officers delegated the duties have the necessary capacity to perform the functions. The Accounting Officer should bear in mind the provisions of Section 44(2)(d) of the PFMA which states that, “ a delegation does not divest the accounting officer of the responsibility concerning the exercise of the delegated power or the performance of the assigned duty.” The budget is supported by the UDM I thank you
Admin
23 Jul, 2014
Budget Vote 16 – Health
Address BY Ms CN Majeke, UDM Member of Parliament in the National Assembly on Budget Vote 16 – Health (MTEF) Honourable Chairperson Minister and Deputy Minister Honourable Members The United Democratic Movement (UDM) commits to protecting and promoting the Constitutional right of all South Africans to basic health care, and providing proper and immediate responses to the major health risks facing the country. In re-engineering the primary health care, the department must priorities access and quality of this service as it continues to disadvantage poor South Africans. In this regard, we reiterate our position, that health care has to be linked to other social cluster portfolios, further recognising the role social welfare, water, sanitation, basic life skills and awareness to improve the basic health of the nation. The current quality of health facilities and their maintenance especially in hospital in the rural areas is not in good standard. Hygiene at many clinics and hospitals in the Eastern Cape needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. UDM believes that jobs creation can be achieved through infrastructure maintenance and development whilst providing quality health facilities. Provision and stocking of medicines at many clinics and hospitals still fall short of the basic requirement. Distances travelled by communities to access these facilities remain a challenge. Staffing for primary health care facilities must be qualified, trained and available at all times to give quality service to all South Africans. In some state hospitals, access to a doctor is almost impossible; this is the case in the Eastern Cape, at Esulenkama Hospital in Mhlontlo municipality. It should not be a privilege for rural people to be serviced by a qualified doctor. We believe that diseases such as TB, cholera and malaria are preventable and can be treated; however, unless and until we link health with other socio economic factors, we will not be able to provide a sustainable service to the nation. Additional hospitals to rural communities need to be prioritised to address the congestion that is always found in the health facilities. The UDM supports vote 16. Thank you
