Legislators slam EC health sector

Lack of enough rural services cause for concern

APARLIAMENTARY task team has criticised the Eastern Cape health department for failing to adequately care for people living in rural areas.

The team slammed the provincial department after a string of projects meant to fix ailing hospitals had been delayed or derailed.

The task team, led by Dr Bevan Goqwana and Mshiyeni Sogoni, is in the province to monitor progress ahead of the countrywide National Heath Insurance (NHI) roll out and the Hospital Revitalisation Programme.

During a meeting at the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha on Wednesday, provincial health officials told the task team the department needed the funding to be rolled over.

However, parliament’s standing appropriations committee chairman Mshiyeni Sogoni said over R500-million had already been used by the department between the 2011/12 and 2012/13 fiscals.

“This same department in the last financial year used over R200-million in a period of nine months but from December to early this year [three months] used R300-million. How did this happen,” asked said Sogoni.

He said the task team suspected the money was being used elsewhere.

Addressing the officials, Sogoni said spending was clearly not in line with service delivery in the province.

“Media reports state that the infrastructure and services were not up to scratch. Expenditure must always be in line with the service rendered to people,” he said.

The chairman said the visit was meant to inspect the progress of projects, including those linked to the NHI.

However, he said the inspection of the NHI pilot site had to be postponed.

“It was just too early for us to visit the NHI sites now since the project was implemented in April but other projects will be done,” Sogoni said.

The provincial authority, represented by acting head of infrastructure Lulama Tuswa, painted a bleak picture and admitted promises made to communities will never be realised.

Tuswa said there will be budget cuts in the next three years which would force the department to break the promises.

He said the implications of the budget cuts will be the non-payments of contractors.

“We are forced to wait for hospital machines to break before we could maintain them. Over the years many priority projects identified have been put on hold and they have been now postponed for a further three years and many promises to the communities will not be realised,” Tuswa said.

He said planned projects were also derailed due to funding problems.

“The infrastructure budget is severely stressed. If there is no additional funding, some of the projects will be stopped,” he said.

“This affect the revitalisation of the hospitals in the province as many of the hospitals were built by missionaries.”

Goqwana said the problems with the province dated back many years.

“The problems have been here but we need a solution to save the department,” said Goqwana, himself a former Eastern Cape health MEC.

MPL Leornard Ramatlakane said he saw the department pleading for help. “To me this is more like a call for help. The presentation today was just a crisis they are facing.”

UDM’s Max Mhlathi, who represented the Eastern Cape legislature, said he blamed the problems in the department on the infighting with the provincial treasury.

“The treasury wants to intervene and save the situation but the department does not want that … This is a crisis,” he said. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za