Health department gets most of provincial budget

THE Eastern Cape department of health has received the lion’s share of the provincial budget, with R527-million of the total of R782.2-million allocated to it.

This was revealed by Finance MEC Sakhumzi Somyo, who delivered his medium-term budget policy speech in Bhisho yesterday.

He said the money would go towards addressing staff shortages in 18 “priority” hospitals hit hardest by legal claims .

The province is being sued for R17-billion in claims for medical negligence in public hospitals.

Somyo described this as posing a significant fiscal risk to the province.

About R317-million of this additional allocation will address staff shortages in state hospitals to deal with legal claims, while R230-million will finance increases in medicine costs recorded in the 2016-17 financial year, owing to the dollar-rand exchange rate.

The health department and provincial treasury will also employ more staff to address staff shortages, document management systems and ailing infrastructure at public hospitals and clinics.

“This is truly a reflection of a caring government that is in action to provide quality healthcare to all its citizens,” Somyo said.

UDM MPL Max Mhlathi welcomed the additional funding for more staff at public hospitals, saying it was a long overdue and necessary relief.

“As the UDM we welcome this intervention because until such time that the provincial government addresses the shortage of staff at state hospitals, medico-legal claims will continue being the headache for the province,” Mhlathi said.

Other opposition parties could not be reached for comment.

Somyo also boasted in his speech that the provincial government was winning its fight against a high provincial wage bill.

He said the government had recorded R65.5-million of savings in the period under review, while the province had salvaged R61-million from spending on consultants in the past four years.

Also, by the end of the second quarter in the current financial year, the provincial government spent R8.5-million on internships and learnerships benefiting youth.

Somyo has allocated R11-million more to the Office of the Premier for youth development projects.

“These will see not fewer than 400 young people being trained by the South African National Defence Force,” he said.

In agriculture, Somyo announced that he had set aside an additional R22-million to enhance the business rescue of the troubled Magwa Tea Estate.

The department of roads and public works received an additional R71-million, R55-million of which will go towards the completion of the R61 bypass project.

Somyo also allocated R45-million to human settlements which will be used for natural disaster relief in Mount Ayliff, Libode, Dutywa and KwaBhaca.