DUANE PETRUS
The Free State’s Health MEC yesterday promised great changes to his troubled department in Bloemfontein.
Dr Benny Malakoane says he is troubled by the fact that the Free State receives the third highest budget allocation whilst they deliver the second worst performance in the country.
Truant doctors who have performed Remunerated Work Outside the Public Service might be given amnesty by the MEC.
Malakoane urges these doctors to come clean and confess their indiscretion and no fraud charges could be laid against them.
He is also considering instituting an investigation into the abuse of the RWOPS with the help of SARS and an auditing firm.
“Hospital CEO’s are requested to intensively monitor doctors whose applications for RWOPS have been approved,” he said.
He expects written requests for amnesty in his office by 27 May.
He added that the state of the Emergency Medical Services in the province is appalling, labelling it as “a uniformed taxi business run by incompetent personnel in uniform”.
He added that patient safety is highly compromised due doubts about the competence of some drivers.He says district and station managers will be held accountable for deficiencies.
“Response times can still be improved, despite the shortage of ambulances we have,” Malakoane said.
Malakoane wants security measures at the medical depot to be “beefed up” due to constant theft amounting to R100 000 of stock shrinkage per month.
“It seems we are dealing with kleptomaniacs, therefore the camera system needs to be improved,” he says.
Malakoane was addressing the media and departmental staff at Boipelo House, the departments provincial headquarters.
