Chairperson, the Minister of Health has inherited the poisoned chalice from his predecessor, Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang. The fact that we have 12 000 vacancies for doctors and 42 000 for nurses did not happen on its own. It took careful and deliberate action or nonaction, as the case may be.
Due to the underfunding of health care, health professional salaries were eroded by inflation, and working conditions became unbearable. As people left, they were not replaced. This created an ever-increasing vicious circle. This year's budget is certainly no different as the underfunding continues.
The failure to make adequate provision for doctors' occupation-specific dispensation, OSD, increases - despite agreeing to this some two years ago - is of great concern to the DA. In order to pay doctors, you would have had to allocate R2,5 billion in the budget. Sadly, only R1 billion has been provided - a 60% shortfall in this regard.
The underfunding of the ARV programme to the tune of R7 million or 70% of the budget is also a great concern. This means that people who should be receiving these life-saving drugs will not be doing so, resulting in many people facing certain death.
The department has, in the past seven years, only received one unqualified audit report. Given the seriousness of the underfunding I have outlined, the Minister may consider cancelling, as a gesture, his Budget Vote dinner tonight in the Marks Building. I don't see the Minister, though, in the House at the moment.
Minister, the DA appreciates the fact that you are new in your position. We will support you when we believe you are correct. We are sceptical of what you will be able to achieve, given that many of your top officials are a hangover from the days of denial, garlic and beetroot. [Laughter.]
The fact that the department could not even deliver the strategic plan on time is an indication of this failure and inability. Unless a new and fresh set of ideals is put in place at the top of the department, we believe very little will change. I hope, Minister - I hope his colleagues will pass this message on to him - that next year the DA can stand here, in all honesty, and vote for the budget. Sadly, this year we cannot. Thank you.