NC Health Department cracks down on overtime payments to ensure compliance

THE DEPARTMENT of Health has assured medical and dental personnel that they will continue to receive benefits following a circular that was issued over changes that will be made for overtime payments. 

All programme and district managers and hospital chief executive officers were advised that as from August 31, fixed (commuted) overtime allowances would come to an end to “improve financial management and compliance”. 

Medical staff warned that there would be dire repercussions where emergency surgeries and medical emergencies would not be attended to, as they were not willing to work overtime without any compensation. 

Hospersa provincial chairperson Paul Gras pointed out that there was a shortage of doctors and specialists in the province. 

“This will cause delays in service delivery and access to medical services. This may mean that nurses will be expected to perform work out of their scope of duties, meant to be done by medical professionals after hours. Unions were not adequately consulted. Where will the funds that were allocated to overtime be redirected?” 

Spokesperson for the Department of Health, Lebogang Majaha, indicated that no one in the public sector was expected to perform authorised overtime without being remunerated.

He explained that the decision was in line with improving compliance with the laws and regulations related to financial management.

“The department has no intention to stop commuted overtime in particular. However, it has been detected that some medical officers may have been paid overtime for periods during which they may have been absent or on leave, as found by the Auditor General.

“The correspondence by the head of department (HOD) seeks to alter the dispensation where commuted overtime is automatically included in salaries when there is no proof that any overtime hours were performed by the doctor. This is the concern that the Auditor General has directed the HOD to strengthen internal controls. The new system will ensure that doctors are compensated for  actual overtime hours worked.” 

He added that overtime allowances were influenced by a number of factors such as service delivery needs and budget availability.

“Overtime must be approved prior to performance in terms of the standard operating procedures.  It is the responsibility of all accounting officers to put adequate measures in place to address deficiencies identified by the Auditor General.

“Given the pressures on the compensation of employees, high demand for services which necessitates performance of overtime by different categories of employees, any savings will be absorbed by such. The controls will, however, ensure the right people are paid for work done,” he stated.