28 June 2007
The Department of Health welcomes the resolution of the public service
labour dispute.
The strike has had a negative impact on the delivery of health services. The
Department is still reviewing the accumulative effect of the strike including
amongst others, the cost of transferring patients to private health
institutions.
The Department would like to thank all health workers who have respected the
right of the people of South Africa (SA) to access health care throughout this
unfortunate period of the strike. We also thank the SA Military Health
Services, the private health sector and all volunteers who have assisted in the
delivery of health service.
The Department of Health will be initiating deliberate efforts to ensure
normalisation of the service delivery system at all levels. Part of this
normalisation process is the return of the health workers who received
dismissal letters of final written warning.
We call on all stakeholders in the health sector to work together with the
Department in minimising the impact of the strike on our ability to deliver
quality healthcare to the people of South Africa.
The Department of Health is committed to the improvement of the conditions
of service of its workforce. We are determined to ensure the speedy
finalisation of the occupation specific dispensation (OSD) which will improve
the remuneration of health professionals. The OSD will be negotiated in the
sectoral bargaining chamber and implemented retrospectively from 1 July
2007.
The Department of Health is also committed to discussing and finalising a
minimum service level agreement for the public health sector.
Let us work together to ensure that the right of the people of South Africa
to access healthcare is not jeopardised in anyway.
Enquiries:
Sibani Mngadi
Tel: 012 312 0763
Cell: 082 772 0161
Issued by: Department of Health
28 June 2007
