Portfolio Committee on Health lambasts department for status of health facilities and failure to produce documentation for commuting overtime paid to doctors and nurses
The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio on Health and Social Development expressed its unhappiness on the Qualified Audit Outcome which Department of Health received through overtime payments that could not be accounted for by the department and the status of Health facilities in the province.
This came after the Committee held a meeting with the Department of Health and the Auditor General for the department to present its 2015/16 Annual Report.
In a presentation made to the Committee, the Auditor General said they could not find supporting documents for the commuting overtime paid to doctors and nurses.
“The mechanisms to control, manage and monitor the payment of commuted overtime as prescribed in the commuted overtime policy were not implemented. Consequently, it could not be confirmed whether commuted overtime paid was indeed worked”, said Mr. Senekal.
Chairperson of the Committee Hon. Gaoage Molapisi said he is concerned about the fact that the department could not account for the overtime. “It’s not possible that you can pay monies without documented proof that the overtime was taken. You cannot even produce records to indicate how those hours were accumulated”, said Hon. Molapisi.
Hon. Molapisi also said the Health facilities in the province “are about to collapse and the department is carrying on as if everything is fine”.
Head of the department Mr. Thabo Lekalaka said the department is reviewing the overtime policy they are creating a new Policy that can address these issues going forward.
He also said the department has done maintenance assessment of all Health facilities in the province, they are aware of the situation and know exactly what need to be done in each institution.
Mr. Lekalaka also indicated that the Department of Health will need R600 Million injection to curb the shortfall and stabilize the operations of the department.
The Committee recommended that the department should address the issue of data captures by utilising the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to provide training and to create a sustainable working solution for both the department and the EPWP employees.
The Committee also requested the department to submit within 14 days a detailed report on how are they planning to utilise the funds that they are requesting from Provincial Treasury to stabilise the operations of the department. The report should also entail all issues raised by the Committee including the infrastructures of all Health Care facilities
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