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On Wednesday the Portfolio Committee on Health received a briefing from the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases and Compensation Commissioner for Occupational Diseases (MBOD/CCOD).
 
The MBCOD/CCOD briefed the Committee on its annual performance plan and the medium term framework budget report. In its briefing, the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases gave an overview of its past performances where it reported that since 2000 it had failed to submit its annual report to Parliament as required by the law and has been receiving disclaimer and failing to submit financial statement to the Auditor General (AG) but was in a process of rectifying the mistake.
 
The Compensation Commissioner for Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works and the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases was established in terms of the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act, No78 of 1973. In terms of the Act, the Commissioner is mandated to compensate workers and former workers in controlled mines and works for diseases of the lungs or heart and reimbursement for loss of earnings incurred during tuberculosis treatment.
 
The Committee raised its concern to the MBCOD/CCOD for its failure to submit its annual reports and audited financial statements to the AG. The Committee, however, commended it for the good work it has been doing despite the challenges it faces. The Committee enquired about the role played by the private sector in contributing towards the reimbursement of current miners and former miners. The Committee further asked about mechanisms or measures in place to ensure mining companies did contribute towards the compensation of workers, instead of the state carrying the burden alone.
 
The Committee called on MBCOD/CCOD to address and come up with measures of addressing its skills shortage as this would hamper operational and governance of organisation. In addition, the Committee recommended that an extensive communication drive needed to be developed and implemented on the services that are rendered by MBCOD/CCOD. The Committee raised a concern about the extent to which MBCOD/CCOD is engaging the public about its work so that communities including those that are in rural areas majority of mine workers come from are able to receive the knowledge and access service rendered by it.
 
Chairperson of the Committee, Ms Lindelwa Dunjwa, said MBCOD/CCOD needed to work with TEBA through using their database to track down people who could benefit. Ms Dunjwa supported the call by MBCOD/CCOD that the database of mine workers should be in the hands of the state instead of the private sector. “We will speak with the relevant people regarding the TEBA issue,” Ms Dunjwa said.
 
According to MBCOD/CCOD, the database of mine workers has been sold to the private sector. The Committee welcomed the intention to revamp the current Act to be in line with the mandate of the Commission. The Committee expressed concern on the dual responsibility by the department of Labour and Health with no clear mandates in terms of the current legislation. The Committee is of the view that having two departments dealing with the same matter creates a challenge in terms of the implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The proposed revamping of the current legislation will therefore create harmonization and address challenges in relation to accountability.