MEDIA STATEMENT
BY THE
INKATHA FREEDOM PARTY
|
May 14, 2007
Dear residents of
KwaZulu Natal,
It would appear that the provincial Department of Health is more concerned about the intricacies of its own administration than the people afflicted by HIV/Aids, TB and malaria in KwaZulu Natal. The department has been spending scarce resources, left, right and centre, on bureaucracy. Yet even this process has been riddled with inconsistencies and absurdity. Recently, the department commissioned a performance survey to the tune of R4-million which, rather sensibly, recommended a "lean and thin" administration. By way of implementation, the department devised new departmental structures on top of the existing bloated mass of officials. At least R15-million has been spent on dozens of new posts for directors and advisers. At the same time, the department has presided over a fresh crisis associated with the spread of the new drug-resistant strain of TB. All this in addition to the on-going battle to meet the ever-delayed targets for the distribution of antiretroviral medicines to patients infected with HIV. Furthermore, the misguided spending spree in the department raises concerns about a potential conflict of interest. It seems that the same people who have been commissioned to recommend changes are cashing in on their implementation while they remain employees of the department. We in the Official Opposition are seriously concerned about the effects this peculiar transformation has on the ground. And so should be the taxpayers and the clients of medical services in KwaZulu Natal. Did you yourself notice any positive change when you last visited your local clinic? The IFP has already pointed out some of the most serious discrepancies between the department's vision and its practice in Parliament. The MEC for Health, in turn, pledged to investigate the allegations of mismanagement and fraud. We in the IFP will keep reminding her. Dr Lionel Mtshali MPP Leader of the Official Opposition Contact: Dr Lionel Mtshali, 083 256 4902 |