Litigation costs against the Provincial Department of Health in the Eastern Cape are a challenge that continues to hamper the provision of health services in the province, the Eastern Cape delegation from the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) heard.
The representative of the provinces’ Premier, MEC Sakhumzi Somyo, said the legal challenges the department is facing are more than R6bn. “We are doing our basics right in attending to the Department of Health’s stability. We are doing our level best to attend to the challenges. The department is faced with no less than R6bn in legal challenges. This makes it difficult to deliver quality healthcare services to the people,” MEC Somyo said.
He said the provincial government was attending to the matter and that the current form of provision of financial ability will be reviewed.
The NCOP permanent delegates are in home provinces as part of the provincial week, a bi-annual programme where they are expected to go home and assess service delivery. The Eastern Cape’s leg of the week-long programme kick-started with a meeting at the Provincial Legislature in Bhisho.
The delegation received a briefing update on four major projects that are currently on the go in the province, the N2 Highway Improvement, Umzimvubu Dam, Shale gas exploration in the western part of the province and Project Mthombo.
The delegation’s leader, Ms Zukiswa Ncitha, said the focus for this provincial week was on job creation and advancing economic opportunities. “We expect the Office of the Premier to take us through issues that were raised during the Taking Parliament to the People programme, especially on areas of health and education. The intention is to measure what briefings contain, and what we will find on the ground,” she said.
The Speaker of the Provincial Legislature, Ms Noxolo Kiviet, said it was important for the provincial government to be open with Members with regard to pending projects and the challenges they are encountering. “The NCOP delegates are people who should advance the interest of the province at the national level. This is an important opportunity to let them have details so that they know what questions to ask when they go back and in their advocacy for provincial interests,” Ms Kiviet said.
Members sought clarity on various issues, including the provincial road networks, clinics, and the breakdown of the budget.
Mmeber of the Provincial Legislature, Ms Nomawethu Gqiba, sought clarity on strides the Department of Rural and Agrarian Reform was making to better the lives of people in the province. “Eastern Cape is rural in nature, and the majority of the people are in rural areas and the allocation of the budget does not speak to this. Rural economy means the bulk of the budget should be spent on project in rural areas,” Ms Gqiba said.
“We want to see communities taken out of poverty through agriculture. We want to see agriculture contribute to the GDP (gross domestic product) of the province. That will not happen if we do not have a budget that supports the sector,” she said.
The delegation will split into three and will visit the OR Tambo, Chris Hani and Sarah Baartman Districts starting from tomorrow.
By Sibongile Maputi
10 October 2017
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