Anonymous writes:
For the MEC to say the staff's attitudes are bad and that doctors milk the system, is not justifiable.
The article in Tuesday’s edition indicates that there has been unethical behaviour on the part of the medical practitioners in the Department of Health. MEC Ms Candith Mashego-Dlamini, was quick to jump on the bandwagon.
On Legwalagwala FM she said that the over-expenditure and lack of money were the doctors’ fault. The truth is that the department is in itself an unhealthy institution.
It has moratoriums on the appointment of doctors and nurses because they cannot manage their budget. A hospital requires a minimum number of doctors to fulfil its obligation to deliver after-hours services, but appointments are not made.
On average, a doctor will do four calls per month to qualify for commuted overtime of 80 hours. Doctors can do additional overtime and be paid additionally. Initially they were willing to do that, not only for their pockets, but also because the vast majority of them have morals and compassion with their patients. But the department neglected to pay them for the extra work and they stopped doing it. To plug the holes in the duty rosters, the department started using labour brokers or agencies that rent out services. The department paid an agency R14 000 per doctor per day. The juniors started working through the agencies and were paid their due within two weeks of doing a call.
Mr James Masango of the DA may be correct to imply a measure of unethical behaviour on the part of the medical doctor, but the situation got out of hand due to the shortcomings in management.
The rest just responded to unprincipled behaviour in equal measure. Moreover, the department only employs a few specialists. Those who initially put in extra hours weren’t paid either and naturally stopped. Yet, the department is willing to pay to outsource these services to private health care. This is due to poor planning, poor management and a lack of vision. Daily, health-care professionals battle without the necessary infrastructure, equipment and manpower to deliver proper medical services. They know the shortcomings in what they deliver, better than the patients.
For the MEC to say the staff’s attitudes are bad and that doctors milk the system, is not justifiable. They should appoint competent managers in head office rather than dismiss those who bear the brunt of the dysfunction.
For two decades, not a single HOD has stayed in office for longer than two years. Most leave under a cloud of suspicion. The senior managers are also replaced regularly. How can the department develop a long-term vision with acting caretakers?
It is failing to put policies and processes in place to deliver. This is a structural human-rights violation. But the Human Rights Commission still owes the opposition a report on the state of Mpumalanga’s health care, a year later.
The minister of health will not get anywhere with health reforms unless the premier, the MEC and the management team get on the same page. In Mpumalanga they are still looking for the book.
