Date: 22/03/2005
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: Pasha: Debate on Mpumalanga Appropriation Bill
Speech for MEC Pogisho Pasha, on the Debate of the Provincial Budget, Ermelo, Msugalikwa Municipality
Madam speaker
Mayor of Msugalikwa Municipality
Clr Silas Nkonyane
Honourable members of the house
In the Mpumalanga News edition of the 03rd March 2005, Ms Lillian Masilela writes an extensive letter to the editor to air her dissatisfaction about service delivery in one of our public health centre. What is interesting, madam speaker and honourable members, is that Ms Masilela does not only complain, she goes further to offer some insightful analysis of what needs to be done in this very institutions.
Parts of her letter read thus; and I quote; “Please allow me to voice my concern regarding the degradation of Rob Ferreira Hospital. It used to render good services but since declared a government hospital it has become disgusting. You ask yourself, is it because of budget or staff shortage? Is it because of lack of commitment by the staff?”
She goes on to say, “when it comes to food I don’t know what type of diet they follow. Health professionals and the minister always tell us lay people that medicine alone cannot heal, it needs a proper diet.”
She continues and says; “ there is an outcry in the country about unemployment and it is so surprising that once a person gets employed, she/he becomes so comfortable and careless about her job, that she/he just waits for month-end to collect her/his cheque.
A continuous assessment or contract employment would force people to commit themselves to their work.”
She concludes her letter with these words; “let us do something positive about our province and not always do and say negative things about Mpumalanga. We love our province, but if you are not prepared to build it up, just opt out-we don’t need lazy, arrogant people and thieves who take money they have not worked for.”
Madam speaker the words as echoed by Ms Masilela, correctly find meaning in the programmes and targets that we have set for ourselves in the various summits that we held in the past year. We held the Public sector summit last year in September at Loskop dam precisely to look into how we can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our public service to discharge quality service to our people in line with the Batho Pele principles.
This year madam speaker and honourable members, we celebrate 50 years of our people’s manifesto- the Freedom charter. One of the clauses of the Freedom charter asserts that, I quote, “there shall be houses, security and comfort!” close quote. There are sub-clauses, under this clause, that clearly underpin our provision of housing, health care and social security:
* “A preventative health care scheme shall be run by the state”
* “Free medical care and hospitalisation shall be provided for all, with special care for mothers and young children;” and
* “The aged, the orphans, the disabled, and the sick shall be cared for by the state”.
Madam speaker, we should be pleased that the budget as presented on the 08 March 2005 would enable us to respond to this clarion call of the people in 1955. It also enables us to deal with all the challenges, including those as raised by Ms Masilela and many of our people, to ensure that we discharge our duties with diligence, respect and honour.
In her presentation of the budget speech, Honourable MEC of Finance, correctly reminded our officials that there is no reason why they should under spent the limited resources allocated to us, more so when majority of our people continue to live in abject poverty, malnutrition and disease.
We will continue, like we have done in the past ten years, to renovate and build new clinics, ensure that all our health centres have adequate medicines and drugs and that they are accessible to all our people, that we recruit and retain enough health workers to service our communities, especially those in the rural areas. We shall continue to provide grants to our indigent people, who in the main include our children and women, provide for our elderly and the disabled people.
On the same breath madam speaker, we need to make a very loud call to some within our communities, who work tireless to undermine efforts of our government to push back the frontiers of poverty and under-development, by stealing the limited resources we have. We will show no mercy I dealing with them. We shall never be held back by their monstrous deeds.
The march towards the creation of quality health care and sustainable social security to all our people is the march we cannot afford to fail.
Madam speaker, I am confident that the developmental budget as presented by honourable Coleman is indeed a milestone towards achieving a society that is envisaged in the freedom charter.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health and Social Services, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
22 March 2005
Source: Department of Health and Social Services (http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za/healthsocserv)
Source: Mpumalanga Provincial Government
Title: Pasha: Debate on Mpumalanga Appropriation Bill
Speech for MEC Pogisho Pasha, on the Debate of the Provincial Budget, Ermelo, Msugalikwa Municipality
Madam speaker
Mayor of Msugalikwa Municipality
Clr Silas Nkonyane
Honourable members of the house
In the Mpumalanga News edition of the 03rd March 2005, Ms Lillian Masilela writes an extensive letter to the editor to air her dissatisfaction about service delivery in one of our public health centre. What is interesting, madam speaker and honourable members, is that Ms Masilela does not only complain, she goes further to offer some insightful analysis of what needs to be done in this very institutions.
Parts of her letter read thus; and I quote; “Please allow me to voice my concern regarding the degradation of Rob Ferreira Hospital. It used to render good services but since declared a government hospital it has become disgusting. You ask yourself, is it because of budget or staff shortage? Is it because of lack of commitment by the staff?”
She goes on to say, “when it comes to food I don’t know what type of diet they follow. Health professionals and the minister always tell us lay people that medicine alone cannot heal, it needs a proper diet.”
She continues and says; “ there is an outcry in the country about unemployment and it is so surprising that once a person gets employed, she/he becomes so comfortable and careless about her job, that she/he just waits for month-end to collect her/his cheque.
A continuous assessment or contract employment would force people to commit themselves to their work.”
She concludes her letter with these words; “let us do something positive about our province and not always do and say negative things about Mpumalanga. We love our province, but if you are not prepared to build it up, just opt out-we don’t need lazy, arrogant people and thieves who take money they have not worked for.”
Madam speaker the words as echoed by Ms Masilela, correctly find meaning in the programmes and targets that we have set for ourselves in the various summits that we held in the past year. We held the Public sector summit last year in September at Loskop dam precisely to look into how we can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our public service to discharge quality service to our people in line with the Batho Pele principles.
This year madam speaker and honourable members, we celebrate 50 years of our people’s manifesto- the Freedom charter. One of the clauses of the Freedom charter asserts that, I quote, “there shall be houses, security and comfort!” close quote. There are sub-clauses, under this clause, that clearly underpin our provision of housing, health care and social security:
* “A preventative health care scheme shall be run by the state”
* “Free medical care and hospitalisation shall be provided for all, with special care for mothers and young children;” and
* “The aged, the orphans, the disabled, and the sick shall be cared for by the state”.
Madam speaker, we should be pleased that the budget as presented on the 08 March 2005 would enable us to respond to this clarion call of the people in 1955. It also enables us to deal with all the challenges, including those as raised by Ms Masilela and many of our people, to ensure that we discharge our duties with diligence, respect and honour.
In her presentation of the budget speech, Honourable MEC of Finance, correctly reminded our officials that there is no reason why they should under spent the limited resources allocated to us, more so when majority of our people continue to live in abject poverty, malnutrition and disease.
We will continue, like we have done in the past ten years, to renovate and build new clinics, ensure that all our health centres have adequate medicines and drugs and that they are accessible to all our people, that we recruit and retain enough health workers to service our communities, especially those in the rural areas. We shall continue to provide grants to our indigent people, who in the main include our children and women, provide for our elderly and the disabled people.
On the same breath madam speaker, we need to make a very loud call to some within our communities, who work tireless to undermine efforts of our government to push back the frontiers of poverty and under-development, by stealing the limited resources we have. We will show no mercy I dealing with them. We shall never be held back by their monstrous deeds.
The march towards the creation of quality health care and sustainable social security to all our people is the march we cannot afford to fail.
Madam speaker, I am confident that the developmental budget as presented by honourable Coleman is indeed a milestone towards achieving a society that is envisaged in the freedom charter.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health and Social Services, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
22 March 2005
Source: Department of Health and Social Services (http://www.mpumalanga.gov.za/healthsocserv)
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