Hon Chairperson, hon Minister, hon members and invited guests, the occasion of this debate is engulfed by the loss to South Africa of one of the most committed revolutionaries produced by the struggle against apartheid, the late Deputy Minister of Health, Comrade Molefi Paul Sefularo. It is with this sense of loss that the Congress of the People is participating in this debate.
Hon Chairperson, the budget is the vehicle through which the government is supposed to deliver its promises to the people of South Africa. It is the barometer through which the success and failure of government can be measured. During a similar debate last year, Cope expressed its unwillingness to support the 2009/10 budget of the department while raising several issues, which I don't think are worth repeating now as they are already on record. We need to look forward. The problems that have been raised must be resolved in order for the nation to retain its confidence in the public health services. Let me give you a synopsis of what transpired during the previous financial year.
In the Eastern Cape, health facilities are understaffed and consequently the department is to all intents and purposes dysfunctional. Whistle- blowers are victimised and forced to resign, making a mockery of the Act that was intended to protect them. This means that in this particular province, corruption is institutionalised. There are allegations that overspending to the magnitude of R1,8 billion had occurred and that, even so, creditors were not paid. Maladministration has led to a shortage of drugs and medicines.
The saga of ARV shortages and the illegal dumping of medical waste in the Free State are well documented. Bad planning saw quantities of expired medicine being disposed of when that money could have been allocated for ARVs. It has always been the case of the money being there, but without a credible plan for its utilisation.
In Gauteng, the Chris Hani and Charlotte Maxeke hospitals also ran out of drugs. The MEC in Limpopo appointed his cronies to provide information technology systems in order to profit thereby. In KwaZulu-Natal, hospitals are generally dysfunctional due to a shortage of staff, and overspending resulted in communities in Mpumalanga not getting quality health care.
The newly built clinics in De Aar, in the Northern Cape, had no drugs. The same applied to clinics in Barkley West, Richmond and Hanover. In this province, allegations are rife that management for the 2010 budget has neither skills nor the requisite qualifications.
In the North West, there are ambulances but no staff, and the roads are such that ambulances and equipment cannot reach the people who need urgent medical attention.
The Western Cape has a shortage of forensic laboratories, with 5 000 samples at Salt River mortuary having to be discarded because they could not be analysed on account of having expired. At Groote Schuur, the neurology ward had no toilet seats, toilet paper, soap or hand towels. This is a hardy perennial and yet the situation lingers. For Cope, these concerns have to be addressed before we can even begin to talk about accessibility to quality health care.
To your credit, hon Minister, your enthusiasm and commitment gives some hope to the people of South Africa that a turnaround is possible. We will work with you to help you achieve your noble ideas and objectives. Cope believes that the primary health care model should be strengthened considerably. Therefore, all clinics should have medication, appropriate health professionals and access to emergency medical services.
During the constituency period, I paid a visit to clinics within the Frances Baard District Municipality. At the clinics in Galeshewe, Kimberley, there are no doctors, pharmacists and vaccines for children. Only municipal clinics have UV lights. The provincial ones don't have UV lights and consequently four professional nurses became infected with TB. Thus the working conditions there are very bad.
I hope that the Minister will ensure that during the immunisation campaign there will be adequate vaccines because at these Galeshewe clinics, immunisation has not taken place for the past three months. In this case the problem is clearly not with management at these clinics but at the level above them.
Access to quality health is not confined only to the building of new clinics. Cope believes that implementing a proper human resources development programme is vital. It is for this reason that Cope welcomes the department's commitment to the re-opening of nursing colleges. The training of skilled labour is never a waste of money because exporting excess skilled labour is to the benefit of the country's economic development. The role of community caregivers should be acknowledged by providing them with standardised training programmes and having their qualifications accredited.
Access to quality health care by all South Africans is something we must speed up. The escalation in medical costs is a matter of utmost concern for Cope. The need to keep specialist fees in an affordable range, have a single national hospital insurance scheme in place and promote primary health care very aggressively are topics that need to be thrown open for public discussion.
Cope recognises that these are burning issues requiring all parties involved to subscribe to a mutually agreed upon policy so that the interests of the caregivers and of the afflicted are protected equally.
Cope believes that within the National Health Insurance, NHI, there should be scope for medical aid societies to operate as part of an integrated system of care provision. Those who can finance their health care needs should not be punished for this. Cope is convinced that this win-win approach will contribute towards improving the effectiveness of our health care system.
Cope is also conscious of the fact that the burden of diseases is a formidable challenge. HIV/Aids is merely one of these burdens. It recognises that the way forward in dealing with HIV/Aids is to provide determined and focused leadership from the top.
In this regard, we were encouraged by the announcement by the President of the Republic of South Africa on World Aids Day last year. It is unfortunate that the hon President is incapable of abiding by the ABC message. To him it is merely a case of "do as I say and not as I do". This is incomprehensible, seeing that he is the President.
I am not surprised by this reaction of the ANC ... [Interjections.] [Time expired.] [Applause.]