The Gauteng Department of Health has, for the first time in a decade, recorded no over expenditure in its finances by the end of the 2012/13 financial year which ended in 31 March 2013. This is largely as a result of the rigorous implementation of the Gauteng Turnaround Strategy which brought the department's books back to balance.
This was revealed by the department during its fourth quarter performance report presentation to the Health Portfolio Committee. In the 2011/12 financial year, the department overspent its allocation of R25 819 914 by R170 million (actual R25 990 164). The 2012/13 budget allocation of R27 191 594 was fully spent by the end of the financial year - with a reported 99% expenditure (actual R26 834 346) - which is the first in this Department over a decade. The only area that reported an over expenditure was Goods and Services which can be attributed to the payment of accruals from previous financial years.
Key areas of improvement noted include the 100% expenditure of the HIV and AIDS Conditional Grant which has seen a 37,3% increase in the number of Antiretroviral treatment sites, resulting in an increase in people (adults and children) receiving Antiretroviral treatment - currently 723 000 (600 284 in 2011/12). 83.5% of patients on TB treatment were cured at the end of six months of treatment, however the target is to ensure that every person with TB is cured after completion of treatment.
There is also progress in recovering monies owed to the Department by other agencies such as the Road Accident Fund, Medical Aids and other Provinces which runs into millions. Meetings have been held and systems put in place to ensure timely recovery of these monies.
The Turnaround Strategy has yielded positive results because of dedicated staff and leadership brought into the department. The Acting Head of Department also announced that the department will soon be opening the Health Processing Centre (HPC) where all orders and payments will be processed to ensure that service providers are paid within the stipulated 30 days payment terms.
