Chairperson, hon Minister, special delegates and members of this House, the Northern Cape is now fully aware of the huge task which the Minister, her Department of Health and provincial MECs set themselves when they embarked on the process to establish the National Health Laboratory Service in 1998. It is truly a mammoth task.
The proposed organogram which details the structures envisaged for this new service is comprehensive and indicative of the hard work that is still waiting for the service once this legislation is passed. This organogram shows how the previous, historically fragmented service of the public health laboratory service will be accommodated under one umbrella body.
We see this Bill as achieving the goal of merging the fragmented laboratory service into a comprehensive service that will be cost-effective to the Public Service sector, which is still the primary user of this service. We also see this Bill as achieving the intention of providing co-ordinated and efficient lab services in all the provinces. The Northern Cape is also aware of the thorough consultation process undertaken by the department and project task team. Part of this consultation was the communication of the process of transformation for the new laboratory service to all provinces.
It became clear that in almost all provinces and in the various areas of voluntary service there were overlapping areas of concern about this new entity. Northern Cape employees were particularly concerned about retrenchments, changing service conditions and salary structure, redeployment and the future of lab technicians. The Northern Cape believes that this Bill comprehensively addresses most of the concerns of the various stakeholders. We are satisfied that our amendments, which include organised labour on the board of the National Health Laboratory Service and in the transition phase, will assist in the process of transformation in the laboratory service envisaged by this Bill.
We were also concerned that the functions, powers and duties of the service would give way to unilateral decision-making, but we are convinced that the amendment which instructs the service to exercise its responsibility in accordance with the national health policy will ensure that these powers are not ad hoc or for personal enrichment. We want to congratulate the department and the task team on the sterling work they have put into setting up such a complex entity as the National Health Laboratory Service Bill. We in the Northern Cape have fully deliberated all aspects of this Bill and we support the Bill with all its amendments. [Applause.]