The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Health and Social Development, Women, Children and People with Disabilities will be conducting public hearings on the Mental Health Care Amendment bill 2012. The public hearings will be held at Moretele Local Municipality Hall, Lebaleng Community Hall at Maquassi Hills, Letsapa Tribal Hall at Setlagole and Tlou le Tau Community Hall at Ganyesa on Friday, 26 July 2013. All public hearings commence at 10h00.
The Mental Health Care Amendment Bill aims to amend the Mental Health Care Act, 2002 so as to provide for the delegation of powers by the head of the national department (“the Director General”) to officials in the national department to improve the application and the effective implementation of the Act.
Amongst others, the Director-General will be able to delegate some of the powers in the Act so as to improve service delivery in the area of State Patients and Mentally ill Prisoners. It also seeks to repeal Chapter 8 of the Mental Health Act, 1973, as a whole, which dealt with the Hospital Boards and is no longer necessary since Chapter 6 of the National Health Act, 2003 now deals with the subject.
Basically, the delegation of these powers is necessary in the interest of effective administration and expeditious health care service delivery. It will improve on turnaround time for the transfer of State Patients following the court order, and the processing of periodic reviews of State Patients.
Members of the media are invited to attend the public hearing and they can contact Namhla on 079 527 0628 for further information.
