Chairperson, I appreciate the words of support from the ANC on the Minister's launching of the state-of-the-art blood-testing facility. It is part of our effort to protect the health of all recipients of blood in state facilities, but this was amidst concerns that we did not have sufficient blood donors in this country. We have a chronic shortage of blood supplies through the blood transfusion services of our country. So we would like to continue to appeal to the hon members and citizens of South Africa to enrol as blood donors.
Ho fana ka madi ke ho fana ka bophelo. Ha o fane ka madi o ka bina mmoho le mminathoko ya reng: E sehlabelo sa ka ke nna ka sebele. [Mahofi.] [Donating blood gives life. When you have donated blood, you may join in the chorus that goes: Yes, I offer myself as a sacrifice. [Applause.]]
To the DA, there is a statement here that says: "... on the verge of collapse due to chronic lack of staff and moratorium on the appointment of new staff". There is no moratorium on the appointment of new staff in the Department of Health. There is a general measure of saying that we should delay on those noncritical and nonfrontline personnel that we can do without that do not directly affect patient care and so on, but all critical personnel that are immediately necessary for patient care should be appointed. That would include this category of inspectors for radioactive nuclides and such technologies.
I just want to tell the hon member from the DA that the shortage of inspectors is a result of history, where nuclear sciences and radiation sciences were the preserve of the white minority of this country, because they were classified as state secrets to protect the secret nuclear programme of the apartheid regime. As a result of that we have not had sufficient training of radio and nuclear scientists.
We are trying to catch up. The shortage is not only as a result of a moratorium, it is also as a result of the fact that there is no formal programme to train radio and nuclear scientist in this category of work. We will attend to this, but do not distort our policy position, nor the history and the cause of the situation. [Time expired.] [Applause.]