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The Gauteng Department of Health has developed a detailed action plan to address the Auditor-General’s findings in its 2011/12 annual report.

Similar to the previous financial year, the department received a qualified audit opinion based on the departmental revenue, irregular expenditure, leave entitlement and capped leave commitments amongst others.

One of the initiatives to ensure that the department receives a clean audit in the current financial year, the department has appointed a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) who resumed duties at the beginning of September 2012.

The new CFO, Mr Ndoda Biyela has joined the department from KwaZulu-Natal’s Treasury department where he was General Manager: Public Finance. He has extensive experience having worked in finance units of various government departments and he holds a Master’s Degree in Economics, Development Finance and Banking amongst other qualifications.

He together with other senior managers will ensure that there are tighter financial controls, improved contracts management and ensuring that the departments always comply with the Public Finance Management Act.

In addition to the CFO, the department has also stabilised senior management by appointing Ms Babalwa Mgolombane as Head of the Infrastructure unit, Ms Meisie Lerutla as Chief Director: District Health Services, Mr Thulani Matsebula as Chief Director: Health Economics and Finance as well as Mr Mojalefa Lekoto as Chief Director: Information Communications Information. They also resumed duty this month.

These appointments are part of the department’s turnaround strategy which was launched last month with an aim to ensure stability to finances and top management. The plan also aims at ensuring that clinics have essential medication, hospitals do not have to contend with malfunctioning equipment as well as proper allocation of resources.

The department has also seen many positives in the year under review such as the piloting of NHI in the Tshwane District, the increase in the number of visits to primary health care centres, strengthened the complaint response system through the introduction of a toll free complaints line; extension of hours in six clinics and one community health centre which will assist in curbing long queues and increase accessibility to health.