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Denosa Conference
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Speeches and Media Releases
 Health

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EASTERN CAPE PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

THE ADDRESS BY THE  MEC FOR HEALTH DR. B. GOQWANA

AT  THE DENOSA CONFERENCE HELD

AT ALICE

13 AUGUST 1999.

Master of Ceremonies:
 Distinguished Delegates:
 Ladies and Gentlemen:

"It is in the most unassuming spirit I want to thank the organisers of this event and the general membership of the Democratic Nursing 
Organisation of South Africa for inviting me to this, a very important occasion.

I am personally honoured to be invited to grace this circumstance with my presence personally and in my capacity as the member of the 
Eastern Cape Executive Council for Health.

When we were voted into the Provincial Legislatures, the National Parliament and Government, we went there to represent your needs and 
interests. It is therefore most fitting that I get this opportunity to interact with you. It is in platforms or occasions like these that 
we should engage each other proactively on the matter most pivotal to us-That of absolute and unreserved service to the patient.
 We have since 1994 made significant incursions in so far as the uplifting of the health standards in our country. We all have been rigid 
about addressing the fundamental aspects of Health provision as a right rather than a privilege. The last five years have also seen 
progress unheard of or beyond imagination in this an exciting but challenging chapter in our country’s history.

The last term set the foundations for this realisation with hundreds of clinics and other health facilities being availed even to the 
remotest part of the country and in this case our province. We seek continuity in building on that.

In the spirit of nation building, we are aware of the unpleasant affray we may have had in the past. That is regrettable. It is, however, 
up to us to find a common ground through which communicative engagements and not confrontation should take place. I am of the opinion that 
as DENOSA is a product of transformation and an essence of the legacy we live in, it is and should remain in the forefront of the 
progenitors of change. This is being realised but the pace of change has to be more hastened with particular emphasis on being all-
inclusive and representative.

We are aware that the nursing profession has and remains one of the most under-compensated vocations in the country. This is the legacy of 
our country and in particular the patriarchal notion of associating nursing with domestic work. To harbour such notions today is primitive 
not worth serious consideration. These are the very ethos we talked about when we spoke of freedom.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Let me take this opportunity to salute you the nurses for being the backbone of our Health Services, Clinics and 
Hospitals. Without your unreserved and undoubted dedication we would still be talking in medieval language in terms of Health standards. 
Your efforts and commitments shall never be in vain. We are taking your plight very seriously and are concerned about your exodus to the so-
called greener pastures in the private sector and abroad. This will lower our standards because we lose the cream of our crop in the 
process which also happens to be our most sacred pride. We shall do everything in our proficiency to stem that.

It is also most fitting that we are meeting at this an institution and town of historical significance. It is here that the seeds of 
emancipation, consciousness, competitiveness, and empowerment were sown. It is also in the same province the legacy of poor working 
conditions for the nurses is amongst the most prevalent in the country. The irony with that, however, is the fact that a departure is being 
arrived at today in this very province in platforms like this.

There is an old adage that the nurse’s place is next to the patient. We still believe in that. These patients, however, are not just in 
urban but also in rural settings in remote areas of our country. Incentives and other measures are still to be availed to draw Health 
professionals into these areas.

We are closely watching progress in the labour sector in all respects as far as representation is concerned. We take pride in the fact that 
DENOSA is transforming the union representation from being a hierarchy-based institution into an organisation with management and other key 
representation at lowest of nursing levels. That is the way to go.

We also assure the objectivity within which you take your role in the fraternity. The fact that all nurses union are united over the most 
fundamental aspect of the profession is a strength and I congratulate you on that. It is a fact that there shall always be exceptions but 
that should not be an emphasis. The essential right for employees to have freedom of choice in so far as union affiliation is only to 
facilitate union complementation rather than competitiveness.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Let me take this opportunity to share with you the envisaged vision which seeks to guide the programme we strive to 
realise in this, our beautiful province of the Eastern Cape. It is true that your interests, at this point in time, are of national or even 
international significance. I shall, nevertheless, draw you closer to home.

We have adopted a multi-pronged approach to the key areas of implementation.

These are, firstly, Hospital Administration; generally, levels in our hospitals are not up to ideal standards. This is attributed to three 
things, namely; Lack of capacity of competently trained health professionals and officials such as doctors who are trained for something 
else but find themselves dealing with problems associated with the unavailability of coal. Deliberate poor management on the part of the 
assigned officials so that government is perceived to be failing; and contracted managers or superintendents who are afraid to make 
unpopular decisions because their contracts may not be reviewed.

For this we, as part of our broader human resource development, are intending to engage in the process of training professionals displaying 
capabilities as far as key management disciplines is concerned. These will not only be doctors as is general perception but necessary 
qualified nurses and other officials. The ultimate purpose of this exercise is the absolute corporate and cost-efficient administration of 
our hospitals and their subsidiaries.

The job evaluation process, with its built-in incentives, which may be monetary or non-monetary, is in the process of application to reward 
every individual’s performance. An across the board consultative process is also already underway. Together we shall build the Provincial 
Health Department into a model for the other departments and the whole of South Africa.

Secondly, With the HIV outbreak and its consequent scourge, it is worth reminding that the impact of this disease could be the most 
devastating or catastrophic experience to befall modern mankind. This horrible scourge but none like the Health department will affect all 
government ambits. I take this opportunity to call on you, guardians of this critical sector of society, to hold steadfastly and never 
despair. People with HIV and AIDS are our people and the backbone I earlier spoke about should hold firm.

Thirdly, we have completed the strategic formulation to determine our programme. Most glaring, however, is the crippling aspect of backlog 
in terms of budgetary expenditure as well as completion of the rationalisation process.

Fourthly, concern areas such as the availability of drugs or medication at our health centres, as well as their theft is receiving top 
priority. We shall never accept late payments caused by bureaucratic bungling to pharmaceutical companies. There are better things to be 
concerned about.

Lastly, let me conclude by stating that I personally take interest in occupational health crisis that exists in our province. The fact that 
there is little or no occupational support to the Health workers has far-reaching consequences in terms of lost worker hours. It just does 
not make sense not to have a structural support base for our employees. I want to place it on record here that I will take every possible 
means to ensure that all Health centres will have this facility as soon as possible.

As the one old but very wise man in former President Nelson Mandela said in 1996; we have great and realistic expectations of DENOSA and so 
does the rest of the country. You dare not let us down.

Thank you.

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