PSC finds DA-run WC Health Dept. best at health care delivery

20 May 2015

The Public Service Commission (PSC) has today briefed the Portfolio Committee on Health on its findings following the inspection of district hospitals and clinics regarding the availability of medicines, medical equipment and general conditions in the Free State, North West, Limpopo and Western Cape provinces. 

The DA-run Western Cape Provincial Health Department fared best at its announced and unannounced inspections by the PSC and with the implementation of recommendations made during the 2013/14 financial year. 

These inspections were conducted at 11 district offices, 2 regional hospitals, 7 district hospitals, 21 clinics and 6 Community Day Centres in the four respective provinces. 

In terms of the following criteria, the Western Cape Health Department outperformed the other provinces:

1. Management of medicines 

The PSC found that the North West and Free State provinces had challenges regarding the timely delivery of ordered medical stock – many of these health facilities had to use their own transport to fetch orders. 

Late payments due to inept management in the Free State were identified as a key challenge towards the delivery of medicine.

This in stark contrast to the Western Cape, in which the PSC found the distribution system (Cape Medical Depot) to be highly effective with the transportation of medical supplies. 

In addition, the Western Cape regularly kept buffer stock to ensure zero shortages of medicines.

2. Monitoring and evaluation

Only the Western Cape was found to have adherence to its guidelines on monitoring and evaluations with district pharmacists conducting workshops and analysis of stock levels. There was no proof of this in the other Provinces. 

3. Management of medical equipment

The North West province shockingly was found to have supply chain management system failures and financial constraints to the extent that the PSC found that the province was procuring the cheapest (unreliable) medical equipment. 

North West was also found disposing medical waste in the incorrect manner - posing a major health risk to many of its citizens.

Other concerns raised by the PSC:

- Poor quality and supply of water and clean sanitation facilities in particular in the North West and Free State;

- At the Bopehlong Clinic in the Free State a number of diarrhoea cases had been reported due to the poor quality of drinking water;

- All District Municipalities in the North West Province were identified to have poor Emergency Medical Services (EMS) largely due to the insufficient amount of ambulance vehicles;

- Lack of electricity supply, due to load shedding in various District Municipalities in the Free State was identified; and 

- Only 58% of the PSC recommendations of 2009 were implemented by the North West Province (Western Cape: 100%, Limpopo: 100%, Free State: 94%).

The DA believes that quality healthcare is crucial to the well-being and dignity of South Africans. The DA welcomes the findings by the PSC and we will continue to work towards ensuring that health care facilities across the country are up to standard and that the delivery of medicines is timely. 

Statement issued by Dr Wilmot James MP, DA Shadow Minister of Health, May 20 2015