The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) delegation on a week-long service delivery oversight to the Free State has expressed its displeasure at the snail’s pace with which the province was implementing its 2010 recommendations.
The delegation, led by Mr Mbuyiselo Jacobs – a Free State whip in the NCOP, found among others that the housing problems they found in Maqhekung settlement, in Qwaqwa, were still not resolved despite being identified during Taking Parliament to the People held in Thabo Mofutsanyana District in 2010.
Quoting from the 2010 NCOP Taking Parliament Report, Mr Jacobs said that these houses were supposed to be provided with running water and sanitation. “It is worrying that the same houses we visited more than two years back are still experiencing the same challenges. We hope the MEC responsible for Human Settlements in this province will be able to explain this in our meeting with the provincial government tomorrow,” said Mr Jacobs.
The delegation was also not happy with the status quo at the Maluti Dairy farm. According to the delegation, the farm was supposed to have been revived and revamped so that it can continue with its operations. However, they were shocked to find that the situation was far worse than the last time the NCOP visited.
Pockets of progress were found in Bluegumbush Clinic where the NCOP recommended, among others; the introduction of flexi hours to ensure availability of nursing staff at all times, hiring of retired nurses to deal with the issue of skill shortage as well as the upgrading of the clinic to accommodate the large number of patients.
The delegation learnt that the clinic has been able to address most of these recommendations, but believed more must be done especially on the upgrading front. The importance of prioritising the clinic’s upgrade was emphasised as the delegation believes it will enable the staff carry out their operations more effectively. The delegation’s stance was strengthened by patients who complained that the clinic was so small and they find themselves cluttered in small waiting areas and procedure rooms.
Manapo Hospital which was tasked to develop a recruitment and retention plan for competent medical staff was another site where progress was evident though the delegation still had concerns. The Hospital CEO reported on how the Hospital had improved its recruitment drive however the delegation felt his retention strategy did not yield any results as he admitted that the hospital was still experiencing high turnover of Doctors and professional nurses.
Having seen the unsatisfactory progress on the ground, the delegation will meet the Free State provincial government on Thursday, 18 April at Old Hansard Office, Fourth Raadsaal, Bloemfontein from 09h00.
For enquiries or interviews with the leader of the delegation, please contact:
Temba Gubula (Mr)
Cell: 078 735 8809
E-mail: tgubula@parliament.gov.za
