House Chairperson, greetings to the commander-in-chief, Julius Malema and the ground forces and the leaders of the EFF ... [Interjections.] a Bill that is not cushioned by tangible means to address health issues is futile and nugatory as the government of the day. The Bill will not miraculously build 24 hour clinics in rural areas ... [Interjections.]
Order!
... or pay community health care workers who actually deliver a very vital aspect of primary health care decent salaries. The Bill will alleviate the shortage of workers and skilled doctors. It will not reduce litigation cases the department for negligence, violence, injuries and the killings of our people. In the Mamelodi Hospital, for example, the maternity ward, we only need seven nurses and midwives to alleviate the issue of women giving birth by themselves and when accidents happen, health care workers being blamed for the department's failure.
The Bill will not be a solution for the water crisis experienced in hospitals in Hammanskraal, Thohoyandou, QwaQwa, Middelburg and Seshego, that sees patients not being operated on because there is no water. This Bill will not garner integrity for this department that is still found to be doing heinous crimes against HIV-positive women by not only stealing their antiretrovirals, ARVs, but also sterilising them without their consent.
This Bill will not have us wake up with improved security systems to protect our medication that is stolen from our clinics every single week and the department acting shocked every time this happens.
This Bill will also not be able to stop your health care workers from turning away our young women from accessing abortion services and telling them that they can't offer it because it is not done. It will also not be more evidence that young people need pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP and post-exposure prophylaxis, PEP, on demand without having to experience trauma and sexual immorality for you to give them PrEP and PEP. This Bill will not deliver hearing aids to toddlers who are expected to pay R15 000 in Limpopo before getting hearing aids.
This Bill will not service wheelchairs. This Bill will not fund medical researchers or better health conditioners of minors. It won't diagnose and treat cancer patients in time. Nor will it provide children within the autism spectrum with the necessary educational developmental and psychological support.
The EFF condemns the department, the Minister of Health and the President for the collapse, corruption and failure to prioritise primary health care, prevention, education on health care, building of clinics in each ward and all the aspects as per the aspirations of the Bill which don't even need the structure to be established for these things to be done.
This Bill is merely stealing time from our people, and in essence also taking lives from our people. It is just an opportunity for the thugs to continue to loot, and this is why we reject the Bill. Thank you. [Applause.]
Ms M D HLENGWA Ms N N CHIRWA
Hon House Chairperson, the ... [Inaudible.] service delivery and accountability for public health resources are essential in the public health services of this country. In South Africa where we have unequal resources distribution, poverty and inequality this becomes even more necessary and urgent.
Public health care is essential but what we are witnessing in South Africa is a public health care service which is itself on life support. The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority, Sahpra, is for all intents and purposes becoming hostile towards our own doctors who have trained and qualified as medical professionals abroad, instead of finding solutions to fast-track and place these health care professionals in our hospitals, Sahpra is building barriers which prevent and frustrate their entry to practise in South Africa. Why is the Minister not intervening in this crisis? What we have been witnessing over the last 25 years in South Africa is the gradual erosion of our public service. We spend billions on health care and yet this country still suffers from a high burden of preventable illness and premature death.
South Africa is currently affected by what is being termed the quadruple burden of disease which is HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, TB, non-communicable diseases, trauma and a high level of maternal and child mortality. In addition, we are witnessing what we have previously being termed ... disease of influence such as diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
This government has fallen short of its own promises as contained in its own 10-Point Health Care Plan of 2010. There is in fact no delivery. Where is the strengthening of research and development in our 10 Point Plan? The IFP supports. [Applause.]
Mr P A VAN STADEN Ms M D HLENGWA
House Chairperson, the Bill that is before the House is a good Bill on paper to get South Africa prepared to deal with a major epidemic outbreak like the coronavirus which is knocking on our front doors.
This Bill will on paper organise various role-players like the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, NICD, the National Cancer Registry, NCR, and others to collaborate and to work together towards a common goal but we must not forget that this sector should and must have a joint operations committee and I hope that the aim of this Bill is to do exactly that.
Attention should and must be given to the concerns of Cancer Association of South Africa, Cansa, about the cancer registry. We all know that this registry was out of date and of limited use, so we hope that this problem will receive attention.
The FF Plus has a few concerns with this Bill which is the following; firstly, the institute must not become another state entity as stated under section 2 of this Bill; secondly, the power vested on the Minister to appoint members of the board as stipulated in section 5 of the Bill is a bit problematic as we believe that these powers must not be vested in one person alone but in a broader base of stakeholders.
The question must be asked if there will be any money available in the health budget after tomorrow's Budget Speech to get this institute running and begin its work. This Portfolio Committee on Health or this Sixth Parliament must monitor the Department of Health regarding the implementation of this institution. Therefore, time will tell if this institute will be a success or not. Thank you, House Chairperson.
Ms M E SUKERS / VW// (Eng) 26/02/2020 @ 13:32 / TAKE ENDS AT 15:26:51