Speaker, Umkhanyakude is to get brand-new ambulances, a community health centre and job opportunities. The ANC's 2009 manifesto stated that health was a key priority for the next five years of government. In seeking to fulfil this directive, the rural district of Umkhanyakude received a much-needed boost in health services when a site for the construction of a R262 million community health care centre and a fleet of brand-new ambulances were handed over by the KwaZulu-Natal health department.
The district, with a population of over 600 000, is known to be the most rural district in the province and borders on the neighbouring countries of Mozambique and Swaziland, whose citizens frequent public health facilities in South Africa. Most of the inhabitants are unemployed and poverty has taken hold. The community health care centre, which will provide "mini hospital" levels of care, should be completed in 24 months and will create 906 jobs for the local community. We welcome these interventions and urge all emergency medical practitioners to ensure that they do their work with discipline, commitment and honour. [Applause.]