After years of failure by the health department to fill chief executive positions at major Eastern Cape public hospitals, newly appointed MEC Ntandokazi Capa has promised to do so within six months.
The department has, for years, been without permanent CEOs at Frere Hospital in East London, Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha and Livingstone and Dora Nginza hospitals in Gqeberha.
Frere hospital has been without a permanent chief executive since Dr Rolene Wagner vacated the position in 2020.
Tabling her 2024/2025 budget and policy speech at the Bhisho legislature recently, Capa said the leadership at the hospitals would be stabilised within six months.
“The finalisation of the service delivery optimisation plan is inherent [in] the finalisation of the departmental organigram and appointment of district leadership.
“With the constrained fiscal space, the department must prudently manage any inefficiencies within cost of employment,” she said.
Former chief financial officer Msulwa Daca resigned at the end of May after almost five years of managing the department’s purse.
Unions have argued that instability in leadership has led to officials in acting positions not taking decisions.
On Thursday, Capa’s spokesperson, Mkhululi Ndamase, said plans were being made to fill the vacancies.
“In some cases, shortlisting and interviews have been done, so we are confident that we will be able to stabilise leadership.
“This is one of MEC’s priorities because she wants to ensure that there is stability so that we will continue to deliver quality health and care services to the more than 90% of uninsured people in the province.
“These are positions that are critical to the effective running of facilities.
“Already, Dr Rolene Wagner has returned [as head of department] which has further boosted the MEC’s commitment of stabilising leadership,” he said.
The health department was previously lambasted in the legislature for its failure to finalise the staff structure.
The Dispatch understands that the department is now using two organigrams.
Capa also instructed officials to “conclude all matters related to commuted overtime and institutionalise co-ordination and the management of overtime in all areas”.
Earlier this year, doctors threatened to stop working overtime after the department said they would have to provide evidence that they had done so. This, the department said, was to ensure that the system was not abused.
The department later reversed the decision, saying it would first consult before a final decision was made.
Capa’s commitment to fill these critical posts within six months was widely welcomed.
DA MPL Jane Cowley said: “We do hope that she fills them with appropriately qualified people who have a medical and a financial qualification.
“The main challenge the department has faced, which led to them not filling many posts, is that they are factually bankrupt and have no cash flow.
“So they used the money from these vacant funded posts to pay for supplies and so on.
“The dire financial situation is as a result of huge medico-legal claims against the department, but sadly also financial mismanagement and maladministration, according to the auditor-general,” Cowley said.
Nehawu provincial secretary Mlu Ncapayi said Capa’s commitment was “such a bold move”.
He said the long-time failure by the provincial government to fill these top administration posts had created instability and affected the quality of service offered by the hospitals.
Ncapayi said one of the biggest challenges facing the health sector in the province was lack of decent leadership, saying Bhisho would need to change its attitude and offer much-needed support to the administrators once they were appointed.
Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) Eastern Cape secretary Veli Sinqana urged Capa to not only fill the top administration posts, but all funded vacant posts in health facilities across the province.
“As we understand, the department is well staffed at management level, but going down, it is short-staffed, hence we are saying she should also focus on filling those low-level positions, which too are critical to the well running of our institutions,” Sinqana said.
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