Delivering the province’s maiden Health Budget Vote in the Provincial Legislature on Wednesday, MEC Mase Manopole said before the end of this year, the department will have an intake of 120 nursing students, employ about 100 EMS personnel, and increase the number of operational ambulances to 120. Manopole confirmed that the health department has long been plagued by staff shortages and a lack of resources, amongst other needs. She said in efforts to cut down on costs and improve services, they will also insource a number of services rendered in the department, such as gardening services, security services and others. Manopole said the R5.1 billion total budget allocated for her department in the 2019/20 fiscal year, will not only help them appoint more administrative and medical personnel, purchase more ambulances and refurbish infrastructure, but ensure that they intensify efforts to improve the health of all citizens, particularly those in remote, rural areas.

The department has for years been under scrutiny for the controversial Kimberley Psychiatric Hospital that has been under construction for over a decade with millions still unaccounted for.

Manopole, nonetheless, told the House that the public can rest assured that “the 6th Administration in Health will be marked by bold steps in the sanitisation of senior management, in a paradigm shift that will bring the revitalisation of staff and the radical transformation of management practices”.

She announced that the construction of the Mental Health Hospital in Kimberley is complete, and the department will open the hospital next month.

OFM News