Chair, hon Ministers, the ACDP is concerned that this department, which serves as the country's main artery, has a major blockage. Service delivery is dependent on a well-trained and competent Public Service, but regrettably, a skills deficit has been in the making for years. While the previous government experimented with risky policies in the name of accelerated transformation, they also ignored the fact that market related salaries are imperative in order to retain and attract necessary skills.
The ACDP calls on health professionals, who have the sympathy of the vast majority of South Africans, to act responsibly and not make the public and their children pay for government's short-sightedness. The ACDP expects the hon Minister to make urgent and adequate interventions to address the crisis in the health sector.
Having said this, the ACDP recognizes that Public Administration Leadership and Management Academy, Palama, is presently endeavouring to upgrade the skills of a quarter of a million Public Service managers and enhance the Batho Pele ethos of service delivery.
We appreciate the enormity of the task which hits home in government's use of words like 'massifying', signifying a sort of sausage machine churn out. We also note the academy's goal of five days of training per year as meeting an international benchmark. Is there an international benchmark for monitoring the effectiveness of attitude training?
Last year, former Minister Fraser-Moleketi said the quality of service delivery plans was not in all instances satisfactory and that there was a need to implement plans at the level of service delivery points like police stations, schools and hospitals. She said the solution would be sustained hands-on support for departments coupled with a systematic enforcement of regulations. Has any allocation been made for on-site problem solving and correction of poor performance?
Lastly, former President Mbeki pointed out that while Palama is an acronym, it is also a Sesotho word meaning "ascend" or "get on board". With this Budget, sadly, the hill may be too high and the boat may be too small. The ACDP will however support the Budget Thank you.