Nontando Guwa

Since the dismissal of Dr Nokuzola Ntshona as deputy manager of the East London Health Complex (ELHC), allegedly over a controversial letter she had written to President Thabo Mbeki accusing Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang of turning a blind eye to the Frere Hospital crisis, a closer focus has been trained on the delivery of services in the complex.

Staff interviewed at Frere revealed that in the weeks following the first stories on the baby-death scandal at the complex, the maternity section of the hospital received a dramatic upgrading. Walls were painted, interior decorators were brought in and new machinery installed.

But it would appear that these improvements were only done in the maternity section of the hospital, whereas the rest of the hospital remained in dire need of such trimmings. It has also been revealed that the hospital put in place a policy that forbids any of the complex staff from speaking to the media.

It is, therefore, not surprising that the South African Communist Party (SACP) is putting pressure on ELHC CEO Luvuyo Mosana to resign. There seems to be the belief among some tripartite alliance members that Mosana betrayed the communist manifesto commitment regarding delivery of health services to the people.

Many argue that in the wake of the recent events related to the shoddy delivery of health services in the Eastern Cape, Mosana and even provincial Health Minister Nomsa Jajula should be axed.

The outbreak of deadly germs in Ukhahlamba that led to the death of tens of babies is one sad reality of the crisis in the delivery of health services in the province. While the municipality is to blame for not alerting the local communities of the problem on time, it is also quite clear that the provincial Health Department failed to provide the necessary medicines to the local clinics.

The municipality claims it wrote countless letters to the department requesting basic medicines, but that no response was received from the department until the water-borne ailment broke out in the area. Lack of medicines in local, particularly rural-based, clinics is a problem not only common to the Ukhahlamba District, but throughout the whole of the Eastern Cape.

Sadly, the Health Ministry seems to believe that building a good reputation in the media is more important than building a health system that provides the basic medicines desperately needed by the people. Unashamedly, at the height of the crisis in Ukhahlamba, the Health MEC proposed to spend R1.5 million to broadcast audio-visual images highlighting the department’s achievements: R800 000 on a radio service and a further R600 000 on video messaging to keep staff informed. This was proposed while babies in the Ukhahlamba District were dying due to a lack of medication and mobile clinics where medical staff could have been able to combat the deadly epidemic.

To make matters worse the provincial Health Department appears determined to institutionalise mediocrity. Its Service Transformation Plan (STP), which has been criticised strongly by most political parties including the ANC, proposes the downgrading of certain hospitals and clinics in the province – this at a time when other provinces are working hard to upgrade theirs.

The Daily Dispatch reports that members of the Eastern Cape Legislature are threatening to halt the province’s health budget because of disagreement over where the money should be spent.

It would appear that it is up to Premier Nosimo Balindlela to announce the plan out of order, following the ANC’s directive that the plan is against the ANC’s policy direction.

In the heat of this debate lies the bizarre scandal over a corrupt laundry bid at Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH), where a tender amounting to R4.7 million for the provision of laundry services at CMH was awarded to an almost non-existent company.

Reportedly, the company that ‘won’ the tender did not have a single washing machine on its premises. It employed cheap labour to hand-wash linen and used no sterilising chemicals, thus putting staff and patients at risk of contracting diseases like XDR-TB and MDR-TB. Seemingly, the company that ‘won’ the tender (S&M Laundry Services) had been recommended to hospital management after bids had closed.

As we draw closer to elections in 2009, it would appear that as far as health services in the Eastern Cape are concerned, not much will be changing any time soon.

What is happening in the province represents a serious failure by government to provide health services to the people.

Is anyone listening?

References
Daily Dispatch: 17 April 2008, 21 April 2008, 22 April 2008, 23 April 2008, 25 April 2008, 29 April 2008, 1 May 2008, 5 May 2008, 6 May 2008
Interviews with staff at ELHC
The Herald: 21 April 2008, 29 April 2008, 1 May 2008

Local Government Transformer June-July 2008