Dramatic cuts to the operational budget of the Livingstone Hospital have severely hamstrung its ability to provide even basic services, such as clean linen and food, to its patients. The Democratic Alliance is requesting immediate intervention from the MEC of Health to source additional funding. These excessive cuts, combined with chronic staff shortages, being forced to take on more patients than it is equipped to handle, and taking on additional …


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Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, and the Department of Health must act on the Public Protector’s final report on the scooter scandal. The Public Protector was clear about two things – there was clear maladministration and improper conduct around the tender process, and disciplinary action must be taken against the officials who were involved in the procurement process. This will be a test for both the new Head of the …


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The Eastern Cape’s two training hospitals are on the verge of collapse, as vacancy rates for specialist posts skyrocket, but the Department of Health is not addressing the problem. At the Livingstone Tertiary Hospital in the Nelson Mandela Bay district, only 51,7% of specialist posts are currently filled, while at the Frere Tertiary Hospital in Buffalo City Metro, only 33% of full-time specialist posts are currently filled. The shortage of …


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The Department of Health cannot afford to employ doctors, nurses, health practitioners and community health workers, as they are too busy paying fat-cat salaries for newly created senior management cadre posts. The DA wants a full-scale investigation into these posts for pals. These posts are designed to further line ANC deployed cadre’s pockets, rather than improve the quality of healthcare provided to the people of our province. A capable state …


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Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s cabinet reshuffle, announced this morning, has made it clear that, despite his commitment to employing competent leaders, he has once again pandered to party pressure. The ANC’s policy demands 60% representation of women in the executive, if the Premier is a man. Premier Mabuyane has chosen to make an appointment in order to fill a quota, and has chosen an individual that has very little experience in …


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Honourable Speaker, Hon Premier, hon members of the legislature; officials and guests, I greet you all Madam Speaker, candy floss is made up of large holes held together by a few thin strands of fragile sugar. While it may look appealing, it has no substance, and it does not provide one with sustenance. Sadly, this year the Premier’s speech was candy floss. After digesting it, we remained hungry for the …


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It is time to chart a new course for the Department of Health in our province. The Premier now has a golden opportunity to appoint a person of calibre and competence to change the fortunes of the bruised and battered Department. Unfortunately, the new incumbent will be inheriting the mess left behind by their predecessor. A corrupt, bankrupt Department that is rotten to the core. The provincial response to the …


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DA wants urgent intervention following Volkswagen field hospital’s imminent closure By Jane Cowley, MPL Shadow MEC for Health Date: 17 February 2021 Release: Immediate The DA will write to the Eastern Cape Premier following the announcement that the Volkswagen sponsored Dr Elizabeth Mamisa Chabula-Nxiweni Field Hospital is facing closure and that hundreds of contract healthcare workers are losing their jobs. This is just the tip of the iceberg, with similar …


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As scandal upon scandal piles up against Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba, the honourable thing for her to do would be to step aside, allowing for the work of the Department of Health to continue without the accompanying drama. If MEC Gomba was as loyal to the ANC as what the party has been to her, putting her position ahead of the people the party claims to serve, she would have …


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The Eastern Cape ANC has made it abundantly clear that creating jobs and preserving the environmental integrity of the Eastern Cape is not a concern, after rejecting a DA motion to host a summit around job creation through the adoption of environmentally friendly alternatives. In rebuttal of the motion, ANC MPL and Chairperson of the Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism Portfolio Committee, Pumelele Ndamase, stated categorically that the ANC …


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