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The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the fact that Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has admitted that "our institutions (hospitals) are not doing well" and that he has established a team of senior government officials to assess the state of South Africa's 354 public hospitals. We hope the task team will deal with the following issues: First, according to parliamentary replies, 62% of all hospital CEOs do not have a management degree or diploma, which is a direct consequence of the ANC government employing cadres instead of people who are fit for purpose. The DA called for an official enquiry into the qualifications of hospital CEOs and clinic managers. We have also said repeatedly that the minimum criteria for hospital managers need to be developed so that patients in the public sector can be assured at the very least of a well-managed healthcare facility. We would like to see a situation where hospital CEO's sign performance contracts and are held to these contracts. Those who fail to honour these contracts should be fired. We cannot continue to tolerate incompetence and mismanagement while people are dying. Second, that the establishment of the Office of Standards Compliance, which was promised in the National Health Act six years ago, be addressed as a matter of urgency with the necessary staffing and budget allocations. The current budget allocation is a dismal R22.3 million, which is hopelessly inadequate for the Office to do its job properly. Of the R22.3 million, R10 million is allocated to Radiation Control. This leaves R12 million, or roughly R40 000 per public hospital, for monitoring service and treatment standards in all public hospitals. By comparison, other bodies that carry out similar monitoring functions are allocated significantly more money to carry out their oversight functions. For example, for the 2009/10 year:
• The Competition Commission has been allocated R68m.
• The National Credit Regulator has been allocated R44m.
• The Public Service Commission has been allocated R121m.
• The SAPS's Independent Complaints Directorate has been allocated R115m.
• The South African National Biodiversity Institute has been allocated R134m.
Every year private hospitals must be evaluated and pass certain standards. The government is promising to introduce legislation for the introduction of National Health Insurance next year. This will vastly expand the size of the public health sector. Yet it is doing very little to put in place the measures that are necessary to ensure that this system works properly. By ensuring that we have minimum standards and properly qualified CEO's the standards at public hospitals will no doubt improve and we will start the long journey of rebuilding public confidence in our health institutions. It is a pity that our public hospitals have had to be run into the ground, by Mr. Motsoaledi's predecessor and the ANC's past policies, and thus that the establishment of this task team was necessary in the first place. But it is certainly a positive development. For several years the DA has been calling on the ANC government to confront key issues facing our healthcare sector - particularly the enforcement of minimum standards at all public hospitals and the appointment of appropriately qualified hospital managers. For far too long money has been poured into our public hospitals without the necessary health outcomes. The burden of disease is increasing, as is our infant mortality rate. In these circumstances, we need to work together to obtain improved quality of healthcare from our hospitals and provincial administration.