The IFP in KwaZulu-Natal demands that the Provincial Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo must urgently present a health service delivery plan after his department has failed to fix washing machines at Greytown hospital.
“Its high time now for the MEC to present such a plan so that we must know what he intends to do to solve problems in our hospitals. The failure by the department to fix washing machines at Greytown hospital has resulted in the shortage of clean bed linen. This is a clear indication of the department’s ineptitude,” said IFP KZN Spokesperson on Health, Mrs Ncamisile Nkwanyana, MPL.
“We are tired of a same response from the MEC’s Spokesperson who always say that they are aware of such problems in hospital but then no action is being taken to address issues which have been reported to them. This begs the question of whether these spokespersons are just airing their own views and not the MEC’s or are they just spin doctors for the Department. The MEC must stand up and do follow ups to the promises made by his spokespersons and solve issues in our hospitals. Being a medical doctor himself, Dhlomo should know the serious health implications of using soiled bed linen, unless he just doesn’t care,” continued Mrs Nkwanyana.
“There is no excuse for broken equipment at our hospitals as the KZN Health Department’s machinery and maintenance budgets are usually underspent. The problem is poor management, which needs changes at the top, otherwise the plague of malfunctioning equipment will continue. The KZN Health Department must tell the truth about its financial situation and what it is going to do about the washing machines at Greytown hospital,” concluded Mrs Nkwanyana. The IFP further calls on the MEC and senior managers to go to districts and hospitals as part of a rapid response intervention team to assess service delivery levels. We need to improve accountability and transparency at KZN hospitals. Everyone has the right to know what the conditions and performance results are at these public institutions.
