Without firm and decisive action, Premier Zamani Saul’s Ten-Point Turnaround Action Plan risks becoming yet another set of empty promises, failing to stop the ongoing collapse of the Northern Cape health system.
This is the DA’s warning following the Premier’s recent commitment to get health services back on track.
The plan, announced alongside the newly appointed Health MEC, Nontobeko Vilakazi, and Head of Department, Oupa Phiri, is not the first of its kind. Similar initiatives have been rolled out before, including a turnaround plan launched in 2022 by former MEC Maruping Lekwene, with little lasting impact.
To avoid repeating past failures, the Premier and his team must go beyond quick wins such as filling critical vacancies. This necessitates taking tough decisions to root out corruption and non-performance that have crippled service delivery.
The DA welcomes the Premier’s decision to establish a support team from his office and the Provincial Treasury to assist the MEC and HOD. Given the depth of dysfunction in the department, this intervention is both necessary and overdue.
The DA will closely monitor the implementation of the plan, with particular focus on staffing levels, ambulance availability, surgery backlogs, payment of health professionals, infrastructure maintenance, and facility security.
The people of the Northern Cape deserve a health department that spends every cent of its budget on strengthening the health system and delivering dignified, quality health care to all.