Hon Speaker, the ANC-led government is committed to improving the quality standards for both public and private health sectors. This means, amongst other things, the provision of adequate numbers of workers at all levels of the health care system, including recruitment, training and filling of vacant posts.
As such, the North West province has, between April and August this year, succeeded in employing 630 health care professionals to fill the vacant posts. The employed staff included 84 nursing assistants, 30 staff nurses, 19 medical officers, 42 medical specialists, 30 emergency care workers, 23 professional nurses, 39 emergency care assistants and 102 student nurses, as well as dieticians and pharmacists.
This resulted in the improvement in access to quality health care, and the reduction of long queues in the province's public hospitals and clinics. I thank you.