Chairperson, hon President, hon Deputy President and members, health care in our country is a constitutional right, and the Constitution states that everyone has a right to have access to health care services.
The DA believes passionately in this right - that all South Africans, no matter how poor, should have access to health care. However, having a Constitution stating this right is not good enough in itself. We need to deliver on this right.
Currently, most South Africans can access free health care services through the many clinics and hospitals. What most South Africans still do not have access to, though, is quality health care. And despite the hard work of many nurses and doctors in our public health system, our public health care is in need of fundamental emergency attention if we are ever to provide quality health care.
When the previous Minister of Health was appointed less than a year ago, the DA offered a hand of co-operation to the Minister. We promised that we would work hand in hand with the Minister in order to improve health care in our country. Today, we extend the same hand to the new Minister and offer to work with him for the betterment of health care.
We may not always see eye to eye, but that in itself does not mean we both do not want the same outcomes. The first thing we all need to do, if we are to improve health care, is to admit that we are in a crisis, which, I believe, the government has done for the first time in a long time.
In the Sunday Times this week, Dr Lucas Ntyintyane wrote that health providers were fed up. I won't say what he said exactly, because I don't want to be suspended this early in the proceedings. He continues to say:
They are not appreciated and their social needs are ignored. ... Health Ministers are not fired for incompetence, but for losing political favour. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang is a case in point. Today the country is reaping the rewards of her incompetence and inefficiency.
As you must hold all our elected representatives accountable, we too must hold those accountable who are supposed to manage our hospitals and clinics. Management of any institution is critical if you want to provide better health care.
If we take the appointment of CEOs of hospitals as a joke and an opportunity to give jobs to our pals, then we must not be surprised when these very institutions crumble through the quality of services they provide. The Minister alluded to this. It is no wonder that doctors and nurses are pulling their hair out owing to the lack of basic equipment, such as Glaxco gloves and masks.
Take the appointment of the CEO of Frere Hospital, for example. The hospital complex is situated in East London and is responsible for the health care of tens of thousands of poor people. It is also a hospital where there is a high number of stillborn deaths each year. We appointed a person without any qualifications whatsoever in administration, and in doing so we failed the people of greater East London. We appointed - when I say "we", I mean the Health department - an ANC councillor from Buffalo City.
If we do not take the appointment of vital positions seriously, we simply do not take the quality of health care seriously for the poor. We will simply continue wasting valuable taxpayers' money through continued inefficiency and incompetence.
The hon President mentioned in his speech that the national health insurance scheme would be phased in. We're glad the Minister has alluded to this, but we're still in the dark as to when this will be phased in; we hear different dates. Many in the ANC are calling for it to be implemented before the end of the year, Minister.
But, before we do implement national health insurance - if at all, because we haven't had public participation yet - we need to get the basic rights of health care fixed first, and that is in appointing good managers at all levels of our health system. Failing that, no amount of money, no matter how much you tax the rich for the additional tax, will be able to improve health care.
The DA is also concerned that there has been no formal public participation or scrutiny with regard to NHI. A policy of such significant public importance demands extensive consultation, Minister. Yes, I was listening; that's why I'm reiterating it, because all we hear is a Minister telling us how good NHI is, but we haven't seen any documentation about NHI. And we need to have public participation in that. [Interjections.] An open and transparent process is a must in this regard, and no artificial deadlines must be placed on Parliament to get it fast-tracked through Parliament this year.
The current crisis with regard to the working conditions and salaries of doctors needs urgent attention, and I'm glad the Minister raised this. The fact that a junior doctor in the public sector earns the same amount as a Gauteng bus driver is indicative of the apathy with which this government has viewed doctors' concerns and the degree to which it has taken advantage of their commitment and compassion over the years.
The government has, over the years, allowed a climate to be created where doctors see no other option but to strike during their lunch hour. The DA fully supports the doctors' calls for improved working conditions and salaries. In fact, I'll be marching with the doctors today in Cape Town at 13:00, hon Minister. [Applause.]
In a situation in which the public sector is buckling under the weight of 12 000 vacant doctors' positions and 42 000 nursing positions, the government should be dealing with the doctors' strike as an emergency. Failing to do so will not only increase the number of doctors leaving the public sector, but will deter young people from becoming health professionals in the first place.
Another priority for the new government has to be the growing child mortality rate, that is, the number of children dying before they celebrate their fifth birthday in our country. South Africa is only one of a few countries in the world where the number of children dying is actually increasing. Across the country, almost one out of every 10 children born will not survive to see age five. That is unacceptable, Mr President.
Child abuse is another scourge that is ravaging our children, Mr President. In a state of the nation address a few years ago, it was said, and I quote: "Abuse of women and children continues at an unacceptable level." Earlier this year, President Motlanthe stated that, and I quote: "Crimes against women and children have not abated in any significant measure." The rhetoric has remained unchanged, but we are failing to win this battle.
We cannot build a united, prosperous nation while so many of the poorest South Africans, the most vulnerable South Africans, feel trapped in a web of terror and crime; where murder and rape have become a way of life for many South African communities.
We cannot build a united, prosperous nation while the crucial centres for victim support, such as the family violence, child protection and sexual offences units, are sidelined by this government. We need to have them re- established; we need to have them re-established now! If the government wanted to combat child abuse in any form, they would make re-establishing these units a top priority.
Mr President, the DA reiterates its commitment to improving health care for all South Africans. Yes, there are many challenges, but none too difficult to conquer if we are prepared to make tough decisions and hold to account those who fail to deliver, and reward those who do so. I thank you very much. [Applause.]