Health MEC brushes aside NHI detractors
State has already done a lot of infrastructure upgrades and will not back down, says Meth
Health MEC Nomakhosazana Meth hit back at detractors of the government’s National Health Insurance scheme on Thursday.
Speaking at Madwaleni Hospital in Elliotdale, where she announced the contractor to carry out R460m upgrades of the facility, Meth warned the state would not back down or bow to pressure.
“Those who do not want the NHI and want black people to continue to receive health services from mud structures will have to continue to breathe through the wound because we are not stopping,” she said.
She said the provincial government had managed to rebuild about 60% of mud clinics and remained committed to replacing the remaining structures operating as healthcare facilities.
“When we build, it is because we want to see top-class buildings,” she said.
“We have already seen the work linked to NHI in Gengqe [in Mqanduli], the Flagstaff community health centre, Sipetu Hospital [in rural Ntabankulu], Khotsong Hospital [in Matatiele] and many other clinics that have been transformed to NHI sites in the OR Tambo and Alfred Nzo districts.
“In total the government has built 17 facilities in the two districts.”
She said the NHI had many detractors but “we are just looking at them [criticise] it”.
“We know the work that has already been done here.”
When the ANC came into power in 1994, it had inherited three different health systems, one for the former Transkei, another for the former Ciskei homeland and the third of apartheid SA, which all had to be merged into one.
Meth said the three systems had been servicing three different populations.
At the time, expenditure on health in the homeland government systems was about R55 per capita while for apartheid SA it was R591 per capita.
The ratio of doctors per capita was 1:282 for apartheid SA and 1:53,500 per capita in the homelands.
“We agree there have been areas where the government has been found lacking, but a lot of ground has been covered in the last 30 years,” Meth said.
“We found a lot of mud structures in our communities built by the people themselves.”
She said the Madwaleni project would take 48 months to complete. At least 250 jobs would be created.
Meth said they hoped the project would not run into delays.
“Yes, we are mindful that construction can be delayed by things like inclement weather,” she said.
“That is out of our control, but we don’t want to see work grind to a halt or the project left incomplete.
“In other projects like Greenville in Mbizana and St Barnabas in Ntlaza, we had a challenge of contractors not performing.
“This delays service delivery.
We do not want to see that happening here.”
She said the appointed contractor had agreed to build hawker stalls next to the hospital to benefit local businesses.
A meeting to ensure the smooth running of the project will be held by the health department, public works and infrastructure, Madwaleni hospital management and board as well as local community leaders on May 23.