The Democratic Alliance (DA) will this week embark on health institution oversight inspections as part of the provincial Legislature’s Health Functionality visits.
The programme, which begins today and ends on Thursday will see Members visit various facilities across the province including hospitals, clinics, pathology services and, for the first time, government-run mortuaries.
The DA intends making full use of this opportunity after numerous occasions where we have been denied access, by KZN’s Health MECs, to perform our constitutionally mandated oversight role. This despite frequent complaints from patients who attend these public health facilities.
This week, DA MPLs will follow up on these complaints with the main focus on:
- Staff vacancies;
- Ambulance functionality and response times to emergencies;
- Medication stock-outs;
- Health infrastructure;
- Equipment functionality;
- Facility cleanliness and infection control;
- Medico-legal caseload; and
- Operation waiting times and waiting lists
While this is an extensive list, it is not a limited list. There are also institutional specific issues that will be followed up on.
This is also the first occasion that KZN MPLs will visit the province’s government mortuaries. There have been numerous ongoing problems at the morgues, ranging from strikes to delays in releasing bodies to grieving families. This has led to great indignities to the deceased and their families, with Department failures also leading to a lack of emotional closure.
Health is one of the biggest enablers to ensuring that our province’s people can achieve their full potential. Good health opens up opportunities to escape the poverty trap. It can also ensure that one can progress with education, employment and life opportunities.
The DA will continue to fight to ensure that all KZN patients receive the best healthcare possible.