Chairperson and hon members, the department has corrected all the issues that were pointed out by the Auditor-General in the Audit Report. It further established an electronic register, which is really welcomed. We also welcome the fact that the Minister is going to ensure that the provincial departments are provided with support so that they can do their audits properly.
It can only be a non-South African who is not aware of the aggressive work that is being done and has been done with regards to HIV and TB. Real South Africans are aware that a lot of work has been and is still being done in regard to HIV.
Chairperson and hon members, the major problem with HIV and TB is the issue of defaulters. We are aware that most of our people live in informal settlements and on the mines. When they go home, they either never come back or they come back in a state close to death. Surely the current government, and the previous government, would have been unable to follow these people to wherever they were. After all, the health of each individual is his responsibility.
We are aware that when these people come back, they are on the verge of death. Some have multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, or MDR-TB, and that is a very difficult disease to treat. We know that there are special wards that can be built for these conditions.
A big difference has been made in the lives of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, or XDR-TB, and MDR-TB sufferers. We applaud the North West for the three MDR-TB patients who were completely cured. [Applause.]
In South Africa, pregnant women are required to attend clinic programmes even before the period of 20 weeks - at least at 14 weeks - so that any complications with the mother or baby can be detected and treated.
Although our learned friends on my right claim to be against the NHI, never mind everything they say, they support the NHI. That includes Mike Waters.
The Minister has reported that the department is going to employ its own engineers, not only nationally but also provincially. We are aware that the Minister keeps integrating the department and the provinces to move away from fragmentation. These engineers are going to work with the public- private private partnerships to deal with the departmental infrastructure projects. There is hope that the infrastructure projects that are in the pipeline will be completed on time. These projects include hospitals such as the Nelson Mandela Academic, Chris Hani Baragwanath, Dr George Mukhari, King Edward VIII and Limpopo Academic Hospitals. We are hoping that these projects will be completed on time.
The resource envelope that has been given to the department is spread throughout the provinces. Therefore, as the Portfolio Committee of Health, we will monitor whether the provinces are using these conditional grants properly, effectively and to the benefit of the health of South Africans.
Funding has been given to universities by the department to improve the doctors' pipeline and to ensure that we get more doctors. With regard to the funding that has been given to the Department of Education via universities, is the department sure that this funding will do what it is intended for? If it is also intended to address the issue of disadvantaged student doctors, will it do so or will the universities do as they deem fit?
We are encouraged by the fact that the budget for the nursing colleges as well as the training of community health workers is already in place. The major challenges that the country is facing, although we are aware that Minister is dealing with them, is to integrate the health system across the board; improve service; reduce the high cost of care; and improve the lives of all South Africans.
Provinces and departments have to integrate their services and improve communication and accountability, particularly for the conditional grants that have been given for that purpose.
The NHI projects are focused on improving the districts' health system as well as for the districts to assume greater responsibility towards the health of the nation. The projects will start in 10 districts across provinces that will deliver this service.
Angisho nje ngesintu ngithi, ngizozibala lezi zifunda ukuze bonke abantu abalapha nabasemakhaya bazi ukuthi yiziphi zona lezi zifunda, nokuthi yini okuzodingeka bayilindele. Ngikhuluma ngalezi ziFunda; i-O R Tambo eseMpumalanga Kapa, iThabo Mofutsanyana eFreyistata, iTshwane eGauteng, uMzinyathi noMgungundlovu KwaZulu Natali - yilapho kuphela lapho kukhethwe izifunda ezimbili, mhlawumbe kwenza nokuthi izinkinga zakhona zingangezifunda zakhona. I-Gert Sibande eMpumalanga, i-Pixley ka Seme eNyakatho Kapa, i-Dr Kenneth Kaunda eNyakatho Ntshonalanga, iVhembe eLimpopo kanye ne-Eden eNtshonalanga Kapa - yize noma laba bengakweseki lokhu kodwa kuzofanele babhekane nesimo ngoba imali yombuso iphumele ukuba ifeze lowo msebenzi, ngaphandle-ke uma bengasitshela ukuthi le mali yombuso bazoyenzani. (Translation of isiZulu paragraph follows.)
[Let me say it in my mother tongue - I will point out these districts so that all the people here and those at home will know which districts I am referring to and what they should expect. They are the following: O R Tambo in the Eastern Cape, Thabo Mofutsanyana in the Free State, Tshwane in Gauteng, Umzinyathi and uMgungundlovu in KwaZulu-Natal - the only province where two districts have been selected, maybe because the problems there are as many as its districts. The rest include Gert Sibande in Mpumalanga, Pixley ka Seme in the Northern Cape, Dr Kenneth Kaunda in the North West, Vhembe in Limpopo and Eden in the Western Cape - even though they do not support this, they will have to face the situation because state funds have been allocated specifically for this purpose - unless they are prepared to explain to us what they are otherwise going to use them for.]
May I go back to the responses of the people who have contributed to this debate. The hon Kopane spoke about the National Health Bill, which looks into the matter of the Office of Health Standards Compliance.