Hon House Chair, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members and distinguished guests, as the House knows by now, the department has been on a relentless path to health reform. This health reform is geared towards a better life and better health. Indeed, this reform, championed by our fearless and charismatic Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, is aimed at achieving a long and healthy life for all South Africans.
The Bill that is currently before this House is one of many initiatives of health reform in the quest to attain a long and healthier life for all South Africans. This Bill will surely restore the dignity of our people, especially the mentally impaired. It will assist mentally ill patients who have been prosecuted, found guilty by the court, sentenced to jail and classified as state patients. These people should not be treated as though they do not exist. These people need care, treatment, and possible rehabilitation. This reminds the state that it has a responsibility to care for the people within the country irrespective of what they have done.
I have heard horror stories regarding the ill treatment of these patients. I have also heard that their relatives, who stay many kilometres away, have difficulty accessing these patients, because they cannot afford the transport to visit them, and they need to discuss this with the authorities. They cannot do so because the offices are far away.
We have a situation in which the next of kin is shunted from pillar to post whenever they need assistance. I am of the view that when the powers contemplated in this Bill are delegated, the management, treatment and care of these people will improve. The state must provide care for these people, just as it does for any other person within government facilities. This will assist in decentralising management, which is key to improving service delivery for our people. This will, hopefully, shorten the turnaround time for enquiries, speed up the decision-making process, and lead to a quick resolution of the problems of the patient and family, as well as the staff. However, I must caution the department that the delegation of powers provided for in the amending Bill must not be abdicated. It should also be noted that the Bill says that power "may" be delegated and not "must" be delegated. This House must continue to hold the national department directly responsible for the care and management of these patients so that there isn't confusion every time we ask about this and are told that this is somebody's function. The national department remains the custodian of the health of the people and, as such, the Bill merely addresses the administrative matter without taking and transferring primary responsibility. The House must be vigilant in ensuring that it plays an oversight role in monitoring and implementing this Bill.
I need to state that the department must work with the stakeholders to ensure that the Bill is fully understood, particularly by the rural and uneducated masses of our people who may find themselves in this situation. I want to assure the House and the department that if the department continues to demonstrate its commitment to the reforms, we will have the best health care system in the country - a health care system that is responsive to the needs of the people, that addresses the basic needs of the people and that identifies with the people. I am further convinced that even this will find fertile ground for implementation. However, I would like to caution the Department of Health to be extra vigilant in the manner in which it monitors the implementation of policies and legislation.
Mental patients are people. We love them. Let me remind members of this House - and I think the hon chairperson of the committee has already reminded you of this - that, by the way, all of us have some mental illness of some sort. We just differ in the degree of illness. What you are hearing now is part of that madness. [Laughter.] Hon members, I am going to tell you what really happens when we deal with this Bill. I even want to reassure you that we hold our meetings during the day.