DURBAN, July 4 (ANA) – The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) on Monday evening said it had received a response to its damning investigation into the state of the province’s public sector oncology services from KwaZulu-Natal health MEC, Sibongiseni Dhlomo.
However, the commission said in a statement it remained “extremely concerned” about public sector oncology patients in the province.
“The South African Human Rights Commission can confirm that it has received a response from the MEC of Health for KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, in response to the SAHRC’s investigative report on the state of oncology and health rights in KZN,” said the statement.
Dhlomo’s response was expected to provide a plan outlining how the province would overcome the public sector oncology crisis.
The human rights commission said it was studying the MEC’s response in detail and would respond with “appropriate actions to be taken”. The commission also noted the health department’s compliance with its first deadline for response.
“However, the commission remains extremely concerned about the oncology patients at Addington Hospital as well as the patients at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALC Hospital) who are still awaiting radiotherapy treatment – some of whom have been waiting for up to seven months,” said the SAHRC.
“As such, the commission awaits the additional information requested from the MEC, which is due on or before 28 July 2017, namely 30 days after the release of the SAHRC’s investigative report.”
Dhlomo and his department were lambasted in the SAHRC report – made public last month – as having “violated the rights of oncology patients at the Addington and Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospitals to have access to health care services as a result of their failure to apply with applicable norms and standards set out in legislation and policies”.
The report came in the wake of revelations that Durban’s government-run oncology services had been stripped of practitioners, with doctors leaving for the private sector because of unsatisfactory working conditions that included a lack of functioning equipment for cancer treatment.
Machines worth millions of rand have been lying in a state of disrepair because of an alleged failure by the department to pay for maintenance due to contractual disputes. In its report the commission ordered the immediate repair of faulty equipment.
“In line with the information secured during its investigation of the complaint, it appears there has been conspicuous failure to provide adequate oncology services in the KZN province for a considerable time,” the SAHRC report further stated.
The SAHRC report garnered widespread outcry, which led to KZN premier Willies Mchunu’s announcement last month that provincial treasury had taken over administration and procurement of the KZN health department.
“Provincial Treasury will be making a Section 18 intervention in terms of the Public Finance Management Act to temporarily control the supply chain management function in the [provincial health] department until such time as the necessary financial management controls are in place,” Mchunu said at the time.
Mchunu said that he had given serious consideration to multiple calls to fire the MEC, but decided that Dhlomo should not be axed. “In my assessment, you can’t lay the blame solely on him,” he said.
– African News Agency (ANA)
