The Gauteng Department of Health says the additional budget allocation to the department will help alleviate the urgent financial pressures faced by the department.
Finance MEC Barbara Creecy who tabled the provincial mid-term budget policy statement last week, allocated an additional amount of R1.23 billion to the Department of Health to enable the department to ensure that hospitals, clinics and ambulances continue to function, and provide the much needed quality healthcare to the public.
The Department of Health said that while the current financial problems of the department is reflective of the increasing demand for health care, poor management and weak systems have contributed significantly to the current crisis.
“The work of the committee established by the Executive Council to deal with the financial problems in the department, has confirmed that human resources management, financial controls, operational systems and risk management as some of the key areas requiring urgent attention,” the department said.
As part of the turnaround plan, the department announced that a team of senior officials is being assembled to strengthen management and develop operational systems.
The team will be made up of officials with requisite skills and experience drawn from the province and national government.
The department also welcomed the announcement by Premier David Makhura that National Treasury's Deputy Head of budget, Michael Sachs, will be part of the team.
Sachs will join the Office of the Premier as the Deputy Director-General, responsible for performance monitoring and evaluation.
“Together with the Premier and the Minister of Health, an announcement will be made by the end of this week regarding the terms of reference, timeframes and names of the other officials that will be appointed to the team,” the department said. – SAnews.gov.za
