(1)What (a) involvement did a certain person (name furnished) have in the Oracle tender in Ekurhuleni and (b) was the outcome of the tender;
(2) what (a) links did the specified person have with the Gupta linked Mediosa contract and (b) was the outcome of the specified tender?
(1) The Department of Health can confirm that the Oracle tender in Ekurhuleni, does not relate to processes undertaken by the Department hence we are unable to clarify the involvement of the specified person and the outcome of that tender process.
(2) (a) The Gupta-linked Mediosa contract has been thoroughly investigated by the Klerksdorp Serious Commercial Crimes Unit (SCCU) and the person implicated is ...
Noting the alarming number of sexual crimes resulting in pregnancies of 10-year-old children being dealt with in hospitals and clinics, what (a) measures has he taken and/or directives has he issued to hospitals and clinics in protecting and/or highlighting sexual crimes that are manifesting as child pregnancies in KwaZulu-Natal and throughout the Republic and (b) role does he play in highlighting the dangers of child pregnancies emanating from sexual abuse being categorised as ordinary teen pregnancies that his department deal with at hospitals and clinics?
(a) Measures taken and directives issued to hospitals and clinics in protecting and/or highlighting sexual crimes (child pregnancies) in KwaZulu-Natal and throughout the Republic and,
- Maternity Care Guidelines (2023) stipulate that:
-
- During the Ante Natal Care visit, every pregnant woman irrespective of age must be screened for possible intimate partner violence.
- Every pregnant woman must be screened for mental health problems and
- It is ...
(1)Whether he is informed on investigations in provincial departments; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what is the update on the investigation that was launched in June, involving two paramedics in Durban who were suspended for allegedly abandoning a sick patient in Umlazi when they refused to climb staircases to reach the patient (details furnished), (b) how will his department ensure that incidences of this nature do not occur at the expense of both worker and patient in cases of emergencies and (c) what total number of cases of this nature of neglect of patients by healthcare workers are currently being dealt with by his department;
(2) whether he has found a close link between the specified cases and the shortage of healthcare workers in the Republic; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? NW4010E
(1) All investigations emanating due to incidents that happen at provincial level are handled by the specific province. However, there are instances where the Ministry gets informed about some of them.
a) The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health indicates that the hearing for the two (2) emergency care personnel that were involved in this incident is scheduled to take place on 28 September 2023.
b) ...
Whether he is informed on matters related to provincial departments with regard to staff charged with serious misconduct; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, (a) what is the update on the ongoing case against a certain person (details furnished) and the person’s involvement with charges of fraud and contravention of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, and (b) how does his department intend on ensuring lasting systems to prevent such brazen acts of corruption?
Yes the National Department of Health is informed by all provinces on many issues, including matters related to misconduct.
(a) According to the KZN Department of Health, the case against Sibongile Zungu, the former Head of Kwazulu-Natal is being handled by the law enforcement agencies and they have not been updated on the matter.
(b) In response to the prevalence of fraud, corruption and ...
(1)On what date will his department open and operationalise the 30-bed mental health facility in the Gert Sibande District Municipality in Mpumalanga;
(2) whether the mental health needs of the patients in the region will be catered for in their entirety and the demand for mental health services be met through the specified facility; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) how does the facility plan to ensure that mental health awareness is part and parcel of the nearby communities it will serve;
(4) what services will the facility offer in the wide spectrum of mental health needs and/or services?
1. The mental health facility was opened and operationalised with effect from 14 April 2023.
2. The facility provides a comprehensive package of mental health services to voluntary, assisted and involuntary mental health care users. It also provides child and adolescent mental health services on an outpatient basis and forensic mental observations that are conducted on an outpatient basis. The facility does not have ...
With reference to his reply to question 1975 on 17 September 2020, (a) what are the reasons that none of the envisaged improvements occurred at the Pacaltsdorp Clinic in George, Western Cape, which is the only clinic servicing four wards and (b) how does he intend to provide access to the 23 000 residents in the specified area to proper medical care?
a) According to the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, the following factors and occurrences have caused delays on the project:
- Construction Tender delays.
- COVID-19 pandemic delayed the commencement of construction.
- An Implementer (in terms of the IDMS) was appointed in 2023 to manage the implementation of the projects.
- Professional Service Providers (PSP) Contracts came to an end and new PSP’s had to ...
With regard to persistent complaints by South African doctors who received training abroad, such as board exams, registration with HPCSA and internship registration, which his department has not been able to address positively and permanently, (a) what has he found to be the causes of these persisting issues and (b) by what date will his department resolve these issues permanently?
a) According to the response received from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA), registration with the HPCSA for foreign qualified applicants is not guaranteed. The relevant Board must satisfy itself that, the curriculum and/or training received is equivalent to that offered in South African institutions, or at least, satisfactory. For the relevant Board to make the necessary determination, it relies on the ...
Whether, with reference to his reply to question 2421 on 30 June 2023, he is now in a position to provide the outstanding information regarding the (a) Eastern Cape, (b) Free State, (c) Gauteng and (d) Western Cape; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?
1. Table 1 below indicates the number state mortuaries in the four (4) provinces over capacity status as of 29 August 2023.
Table 1:
|
Province
|
Total number of State Mortuaries with over capacity
|
|
Eastern Cape
|
None
|
|
Free State
|
None
|
|
Gauteng
|
8
|
|
Western Cape
|
None
|
(2) All facilities in the four provinces have back-up generator capacity. However, there are adverse impact on equipment ...
(a) What is the current status of the backlog on elective surgeries in the (i) Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberly and (ii) in the province and (b) how does he plan to address the issue of elective surgery backlogs in each province?
a) According to the Northern Cape Department of Health, the current surgical backlog at Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberley is standing at 6000 cases as at 31 August 2023. This backlog was accumulated during the Covid-19 period. The following table shows the breakdown per specialty field:
|
Area
|
Surgery backlog
|
Type
|
Waiting time
|
|
Urology
|
471
|
Multiple type of operations
|
20 months
|
|
General surgery
|
201 ... |
With reference to his reply to question 1754 on 12 June 2023, what are the relevant details of the personnel who were placed at the clinic when it was operational, (b) on what date did each person (i) start to work at the clinic and (ii) leave the service of the clinic and (d) what are the reasons that the satellite clinic was closed?
According to the North West provincial health department:
(a) Makolokwe Ward 29 in Rustenburg has a mobile service point and staff are not appointed to the service point but are assigned from the Sub-district office to perform the mobile service. The current staff that are on the mobile clinic are: 1 x Professional Nurse; 1 x Enrolled Nursing Assistant and 1 x Driver.
(b) ...
