View all
DENOSA response to the Budget Speech by Finance Minister
Media statement
Thursday, 26 February 2015
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) notes the budget speech which Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene delivered in Parliament yesterday, especially the R178 billion health spending allocation for the next three years.
We hope Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi will dwell more on how the R178 billion will be spent on health in his budget speech, and it is our expectation that nursing will get a fair share of the allocation, as Chief Nursing Officers’ directorates in many provinces have not been appointed.
Appointment of Chief Nursing Officers in provinces, who will work closely with the National Chief Nursing Officer, will give direction to many long-standing and pressing nursing challenges such as staff shortages, decaying infrastructure and dangerous working conditions that nurses have become exposed to.
We are pleased that Minister announced that the White Paper on NHI is imminent, to be accompanied by the discussion paper on financing options. The White Paper on NHI is long overdue and its release will surely shed light on many areas around NHI.
DENOSA regards it as good news that the Office of Health Standards Compliance has been listed as an independent entity with the budget allocation of R125 million, which we hope it will have the necessary tools of trade for its inspectors to do their inspection work thoroughly and to hold to account those facilities whose conditions are not ideal.
DENOSA had hoped that the Minister would have put in place a budget plan for the crisis caused by mass resignation of nurses, teachers and police offers due to false rumours around the retirement reform process, where most resigned on fears that the lump sum payment upon resignation will no longer be accessible after 1 March 2015. The resignations, which are still continuing in the public service, are causing strain in services at health facilities in the case of nurses (4 600 civil servants left the public service in November 2014 alone).
It was an expectation that the minister would announce a special budget to cater for these vacancies. But the fact that he made it known that his budget would be featured by, among others, consolidation of government personnel numbers makes us nervous that these public servants may not be replaced anytime soon, especially at this desperate time of increasingly ageing nursing population.
On the increase of 1% tax to most people who make up the bulk of tax payers which will further shrink workers’ disposable income, DENOSA finds it unfair to workers who have to make up for the irregular spending and general mismanagement that takes place in many government departments, resulting in short-fall of many projects and also for the lack of success in corruption-fighting mechanisms in government.
DENOSA still hopes that Health Minister will add the proverbial flesh to the bones that were laid out by Finance Minister.
End
Issued by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA)
For more information, contact:
Simon Hlungwani, DENOSA President
Mobile: 079 501 4922
Email: simonh@denosa.org.za
Or
Sibongiseni Delihlazo, DENOSA Communications Manager
Mobile: 079 875 2663
Tel: 012 343 2315
Email: sibongisenid@denosa.org.za
Website: www.denosa.org.za
Twitter: @DENOSAORG
