Date: 24/04/2007

Source: KwaZulu Natal Provincial Government

Title: Nkonyeni: KwaZulu-Natal Health Prov Budget Speech 2007/08

Press statement by KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Health MEC Ms Neliswa Nkonyeni on the Budget Presentation for 2007/08 Financial Years

Let me first appraise you on the Strategic Goals that the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health seeks to attain for our populace. Our budget allocation needs to be understood in the context of what we want to achieve, namely:

* effective implementation of HIV and AIDS strategy
* strengthening of Primary Healthcare and the provisioning of caring, responsive and quality health service at all levels
* addressing poverty by promoting health, preventing and managing illnesses with emphasis on lifestyle, trauma and violence
* strengthening of service delivery through Good Governance, Human Resource Management and Strategic Partnerships, as well as
* infrastructure investment in health technology, communication and buildings.

Budget Vote for 2007/08

We are a province of more than 10 million people of which more than 88% are uninsured and do not have access to Medical Aid. These are people who as such depend solely on Public health facilities for their ailments. The amount of R13, 4 billion that we request for 2007/08 financial year, will take us a long way to address the challenges that we still face in our quest to provide better healthcare and thus invest in the future of this province.

District Health Services

In the last financial year, we have seen serious challenges with the burden of disease in the province. In the current financial year, we have made a provision to the amount of R6,2 billion. This increase will cater for the implementation of the comprehensive HIV and AIDS plan, which has been allocated a total sum of R988,5 million.

Our province has also witnessed an increase in the deadly multi-drug resistant (MDR) and extreme drug resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) strains particularly in the Msinga and Greytown areas. To deal with the TB challenge in general, we are putting aside a sum of R506,5 million which will be utilised in our hospitals and clinics. For the MDR and XDR TB strains specifically, we are allocating R80 million, which forms part of our TB crises management plan.

We are also allocating a sum of R94 million for the Forensic Pathology Services, a programme directly related to the takeover of government mortuaries transferred from the South African Police Services (SAPS) last year.

Let us remember that following the Cross Boundary re-demarcation, in accordance with the Constitutional Twelfth Amendment Act, we have had to take over 908 employees from the Eastern Cape Department of Health with effect from 1 April 2007.

Healthcare Support Services

The allocation here is towards the management of the supply of pharmaceuticals and medical sundries to hospitals, community health centres, clinics and local authorities. A sum of R12,6 million has been allocated to this supply under the aegis of what is conventionally called Medicine Trading. This allocation is to be increased exponentially to R15,1 million by the financial year 2009/10.

We mindful of the injection of an additional once-off increase of R20 million we received in the last financial year which was as a result of the need to increase stock due to an increase on the number of patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART).

When we first started dispensing antiretrovirals (ARVs) in May 2004 there were 100 people on the programme and there were only eight hospitals, which were accredited to administer ARVs. We now have 60 accredited sites that dispense these antiretroviral drugs. This is part of the comprehensive plan for care, management and treatment of HIV and AIDS. The budget allocated for HIV and AIDS for the current financial year is thus R988,5 million.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

Our province is vastly populated and more than half of our citizens live in rural areas and as such do not have access to health facilities. In this regard we are expected to render pre-hospital emergency medical services including inter-hospital transfers and planned patient transport.

We currently transfer around than 600 000 patients within all the communities of the province (urban and rural). Pressures and challenges that we face in this programme entail the appointment of additional staff, high rate of inflation on motor vehicle purchase and replacement as well as the unpredictable cost of fuel.

As a department we also have to honour our country's commitment in as far as 2010 World Cup is concern. We are expected to see to the:

* establishment of communication centres
* vehicle replacement
* the establishment of the FIFA implementation team
* the recruitment and training of current and new staff.

To accomplish the above we have set aside a sum of R553,5 million of which R30 million will be used to cater for:

* increasing Ambulance fleet by 150 Ambulances
* employing 600 more Emergency Rescue Medical Services personnel.

Provincial Hospital Services

The challenges facing the health department is how best the hospitals are managed and whether they have the necessary resources for their optimal functioning. We have made a provision of R3,5 billion, an 11% increase on the R3,1 billion allocated for the financial year 2006/07.

Central Hospital Services

Our province's Central Hospital Services are among the best in the world. These services are partly funded through a conditional grant from the national Department of Health and the funding is adjusted according to inflation targets only. An amount of R1,2 billion has been provided for this service. This represents an increase of 9% from R1,1 billion in the last financial year.

Health Sciences and training

As a department, one of our greatest challenges is to improve the capacity of health personnel across the spectrum through adequate numbers and appropriate skills. The problem is exacerbated by various developed countries who poach the medical and nursing personnel that we have spent millions training.

This year alone we are putting aside a sum of R503,5 million, which sees an increase of R58,3 million to last year's allocation intended for training.

Our accomplishments here will be:

* training of 935 students nurses towards professional nursing
* training of 60 student nurses towards professional nursing
* training of 545 student nurses towards enrolled nurses category
* undertaking of training of 144 ambulance emergency assistants as well as 48 paramedics
* providing 750 students with bursaries to pursue health related disciplines.

All the above will have to serve our people in their hometowns for the duration in which the department has assisted them with their respective training.

Health Facilities Management

Under this programme we provide new health facilities and rehabilitate, upgrade and maintain existing facilities. This inextricably includes the provision of additional primary healthcare facilities to ensure improved access to health services in the under-served areas of the province as well as provision of major medical equipment. In this regard we are putting aside a sum of R1,08 billion.

Administration

It is our understanding that for the effective management of the Department of Health, it has become necessary that Head Office function be streamlined to provide the necessary support and service to all our institutions, as well as training and development of staff and the development of systems and processes to enhance service delivery.

We are firmly of the view that by strengthening the centre, the periphery will be able to function optimally. We have set aside an amount of R274,3 million for the current year, which is an increase of 30,1% from the R209,8 million allocated in 2006/07. On average, the overall programme allocation remains within 2% of the total budget.

Let us therefore work towards investing in the health of our people by joining together in the task ahead. If we work together, we will not fail. As members of the media we value the partnership we have forged with you at various points in this arduous journey of providing an efficient and effective health system in the province, especially for the poorest of the poor within our communities. We humbly ask of you, to cherish and cement that partnership and relationship, to the extent that you take a keener interest in the good that we have achieved to date. I am prepared to take this year's theme to new majestic heights: 'Investing in women and children secures a healthy nation.'

I thank you.

Enquiries:
Leon Mbangwa
Cell: 083 459 8695

Desmond Motha
Cell: 083 295 3901

Issued by: Department of Health, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
24 April 2007