Opposition slams legal costs
“The DA has attempted to establish the true costs of the mental hospital for some time, but at each turn the department blind sides us.”
Fritz said that the Dr Harry Surtie Hospital in Upington, which was opened more than three years ago, was still not fully operational due to budget pressures and staffing constraints.
“The De Aar Hospital was recently completed and handed over, but needs more than R53 million before it becomes operational.”
Fritz also pointed to the shortage of ambulances in the Province and the non-compliance of hospitals to national core standards.
“It is not surprising that this poorly-organised department, that claims to have 111 operational ambulances in the Province, did not have a single operational and available ambulance in Upington on June 2.
“Millions of rands, intended to improve health infrastructure across the Province and to beef up its human resource capacity, have been squandered on corruption, poorly-managed contracts, dismally-managed projects and uninformed decisions.”
He added that the R239 million bail-out that was paid by Treasury to the department to cover a portion of its outstanding debts, would be deducted from the already “already over stretched” 2017/18 budget.
“As a result, cost containment is implemented to such an extent that the department has no funding to appoint additional doctors, nurses and cleaners to improve the quality of care at facilities.
“The department also has a budgetary shortfall of more than R90 million to ensure adequate refurbishment of hospitals and clinics that are in desperate need of maintenance and repairs, as well as to enable the targeted number of clinics to reach ideal status and maintain those clinics that have already achieved this status.
“The department is also R85 million away from meeting the legislated requirements of a 24-hour, two-crew ambulance service.”
He stated that the nursing college and the Emergency Medical Services College risked losing its accreditation due to issues relating to the curriculum, lack of administrative and academic staff and lack of equipment.
“The Kimberley Hospital has been without a radiologist for almost a year now and continues to face the potential closure of certain services, such as radiology services, by external regulatory bodies.
“There is no denying that the Northern Cape Department of Health remains in crisis and on the verge of collapse,” he concluded.
ANC provincial secretary, Deshi Nxganga acknowledged the “legacy issues” as cited by the department in completing the new Kimberley mental health hospital.
“However, we welcome the commitment by the department to complete the new mental hospital by the end of the 2017 calendar year and also the commitment to construct the John Taolo Gaetsewe Regional Hospital in the next financial year.”
He added that the integration of the electronic health patient registration system would eliminate the need for patients to wait in long queues before they were attended to by a doctor.