The Democratic Alliance has called for the removal of Mpumalanga health MEC Sibongile Manana following an announcement on Thursday that her department had been placed under curatorship.
Democratic Alliance (DA) provincial leader Clive Hatch said if Manana continued to be involved in the health department, no positive steps would be achieved by the curatorship.
”The decision to place the Mpumalanga health department under curatorship might have been the best news to come out of this province in a long while. But the continued involvement of MEC Sibongile Manana will nullify any possible benefits of this move,” he said.
”The first step in restoring ethical, effective and efficient administration in the provincial health department would be the removal of MEC Manana. Any other initiative would be a waste of time and money unless she is replaced,” Hatch said.
The Mpumalanga executive council has resolved to immediately set up a political committee and an administrative task team to remove obstacles and hurdles that have hampered the delivery of essential health services.
”We have expertise in the provincial government and we are collectively taking charge of the situation in our department of health, and we are earnest to the call of building a people’s contract for a healthy society in our province,” said Premier Ndaweni Mahlangu.
The steps are a result of damning reports from the auditor general, the provincial standing committee on public accounts as well as persistent complaints from communities throughout the province on the poor delivery of health services.
The premier’s office said on Thursday the political committee would be chaired by housing and land administration MEC Simeon Gininda and comprised public works, road and transport MEC Jabulani Mabona and Manana.
It said the committee would give political guidance to the provincial health department. Manana would continue to be responsible for the department, but would, together with the committee, take decisions that impacted on the department.
Director General Advocate Stanley Soko would chair the administrative task team; comprising Sophney Tshukudu, head of the finance and economic affairs department, Maureen Sithole, head of the department of agriculture, conservation and environment, Rina Charles, head of the health department, Hussain Verachia, Deputy Director General of the premier’s office, and Billy de Jager, Chief Director of the premier’s office dealing with internal audits.
Other members include Solly Tshitangano, Chief Director of provincial treasury, Brett Cuthill, a human resource specialist in the director’s administration, Monica de Vos, a director in the premier’s office, and Danster Mahlangu, also a director in the premier’s office.
It said the task team had to restore ethical, effective and efficient administration in the health department within three to five months.
The team has to concentrate on a number of issues including putting administrative systems in place which promote effective and efficient administration at head office, district and local levels.
The team must also look at the financial management within the department as well as put in place measures that strengthen the office of the chief financial officer.
It has to improve the organisational structure of the department, ensure the optimal utilisation of human resources with an emphasis on the need for doctors, nurses and other personnel performing essential services at all the hospitals and clinics, and look at the authenticity and credibility of available personnel records.
The office said the team would also have to ensure that all senior managers including hospital chief executives, had performance agreements, it would strengthen controls on logistical and general transport usage by the department, and establish a health hotline.
The team will report to the political committee on a fortnightly basis.
Hatch said problems in the department included a 60% shortage of specialist staff at the Witbank hospital, which was the only tertiary hospital in the province.
There was a moratorium on the recruitment of doctors in Mpumalanga that did not apply to doctors in other provinces, there was no spinal unit in Mpumalanga and any casualty from a car accident could only be stabilised in the province and would have to receive specialised treatment at a Gauteng hospital. There are also no burn units in Mpumalanga hospitals.
The premier’s office said the intervention was aimed at ensuring the proper delivery of health services.
”The premier and executive council want to, once again, reassure the citizens of Mpumalanga province that this intervention is aimed at ensuring that proper health care services are delivered and there shall be no interruption in delivery during this period,” the premier’s office said.
”Furthermore, the executive council urges communities to actively participate by bringing forth their concerns in as far as health service delivery is concerned and all the officials in this department are expected to co-operate with this administrative task team.” – Sapa