NCOP
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 178
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 17 OCTOBER 2014
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 16)
Ms E C van Lingen (DA-EC) to ask the Minister of Health:
(1) (a) Which medical officers offer services to patients and/or clients
regarding social and disability grants in terms of the Kouga Local
Service Area in the Eastern Cape, (b) which department has deployed
the said medical officers, (c) which specific areas are they
responsible for, (d) how many patients and/or clients do they examine
daily and (e) where are they based;
(2) what is the recourse to patients who are not certified by such
medical officers for certain disabilities?
CW282E
REPLY:
1) (a) Sessional doctors are responsible for servicing patients
with regard to social and disability grants;
(b) The Eastern Cape Department of Health has employed 13 sessional
doctors;
(c) These doctors are responsible for the Sundayâs River, Koukama,
and Kouga;
(d) An average of 184 patients are consulted by these doctors on a
daily basis, and all patients who visit the Departmentâs
facilities are not turned away but attended to according to
their medical needs;
(e) The Department offers a comprehensive medical service in the
area of Kouga and the services referred to in the question are
offered in 38 Primary Health Care facilities.
2) The doctors are responsible for patient examination, complete and make
recommendations on the grant application forms for patients and
thereafter the outcomes of the application process entirely depend on
SASSA. Patients/clients that are not satisfied with the decision of
SASSA can appeal to the Appeals Tribunal located within the Department
of Social Development.
END.