The opposition party believes that by freezing all posts, the Province is heading for an “unprecedented health crisis” as the health sector is already stretched to its limits.
THE DA believes that the freezing of all government posts due to budget cuts, would result in an “unprecedented health crisis”.
In reply to the tabling of the adjustment appropriation bill for the 2020/21 financial year and the provincial medium term budget policy statement, DA provincial leader Andrew Louw said that while it was necessary to stop unnecessary appointments, medical staff including doctors and nurses were critical in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He added that the provincial government would not be able to provide primary health care to patients, without funds.
“We’ve known since the tabling of the medium-term budget policy statement that the Northern Cape will lose R52 million for the maintenance and expansion of health facilities. We still don’t know how the provincial government plans to provide critical health care to the people of this province when it does not have money to keep clinic doors open.”
Louw stated that for far too long, departments were using this year’s budget to pay for last year’s services.
“We know that there is an expanded unemployment rate of 44 percent in the Province and that the extended lockdown led to massive job losses. We know that small medium and micro enterprises struggle for three months or more to get payment from the provincial government for services that had already been delivered and goods that had already been used. We know that the ANC’s decision to sponsor the bankrupt SAA has led to funds being robbed from critical services rendered by the criminal justice system as well as the funding for education and for the agricultural sector.
“We still do not know what government actually plans to do about these problems that will grow from short-term crises to long-term catastrophes.”
He added that little had been done to curb rising unemployment despite an amount of R133 million that was earmarked for job creation in July.
