11 September 2009

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health continues to hire non-critical staff despite the moratorium imposed in August 2008 on the appointment of employees other than doctors and nurses in order to contain the multi-billion rand over-expenditure.

“The department has found a creative way of bypassing the moratorium by recruiting non-critical staff through employment agencies,” said Roman Liptak IFP MPL who serves on the health portfolio committee in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature.

In total, 112 employees have been recruited with the help of employment agencies since the inception of the freeze on the filling of non-critical vacancies in August last year. “Most of these post-moratorium recruits are secretaries, personal assistants, data capturers and general assistants. The picture is complete with a messenger and a librarian,” said Liptak

While some of these jobs have been filled on a month-to-month basis, others are on a fixed-term contract. “A significant proportion of the post-moratorium recruits serve at the department’s head office,” said Liptak

It appears that the Department of Health has been employing staff through employment agencies since at least 2003, creating two categories of employees: permanent staff who enjoy the benefits available to government employees and temporary staff contracted to employment agencies.

This week, the Department of Health in tandem with the provincial Treasury unveiled a comprehensive recovery plan to contain the runaway expenditure. “With the exception of those in charge of its implementation, this recovery plan is a carbon copy of the turnaround strategy introduced by the joint task team comprising the department and Treasury in November 2008,” said Liptak.

The 2008 turnaround strategy foundered on the lack of communication between the Department of Health and the Treasury, resulting in ever higher levels of over-expenditure. Now, as then, compensation of employees is one of the main cost drivers in the department.

Contact: Roman Liptak, 078 302 0929