Chairperson, to be a politician is problematic. [Interjections.] When you leave, I want to leave with the Chief Whip.
There is a lot of talk about this Bill. There is a lot talk about prisoners, etc. But the Bill is a very simple Bill. Nobody addresses the Bill. You might think that we are referring to all mad people, but the Bill, basically, only has two objectives. The first objective is to allow the director-general to delegate some powers. The second objective is to repeal the Mental Health Act, Act No 18 of 1973. Hon members, these are the objectives of the Bill which Cope supports.
The proposed insertion, as per the Memorandum on Objects of Mental Health Care Amendment Bill, states that the proposed insertion "enables the director-general ... to determine the transfers of state patients from detention centres to health establishments pursuant to court orders issued in terms of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977." This amendment brings to our purview the psychiatric hospitals to which these patients will, in most cases, be transferred.
It also allows the director-general to delegate powers to review the mental health status of state patients. This means that the transfer of these state patients to health establishments is aimed at providing them with mental health care so that, at one point, they are sent back to their community and family. The question is: Are these health establishments equipped to achieve these objectives?
In order to achieve their objectives, these health establishments should be allocated adequate funds. It is unfortunate that the budget allocations to these hospitals are usually lower when compared to general hospitals. They usually receive a third of what is allocated to the general hospitals. This inequitable funding is exacerbated by the significant shortage of mental health professionals.
The budget allocation has an impact on modernising psychiatric hospitals, which, in most cases, have fallen into disrepair. This is bound to affect the morale of professionals within these institutions and will definitely affect the ability of these institutions to rehabilitate state patients.
Cope hopes that this amendment will encourage the Minister and his department to take a closer look at these establishments which provide this mental service. We hope that, amongst other things, efforts will be put in place to ensure that adequately skilled and professional staff will be systematically trained. Cope will support this Bill.