Unhealthy district council to blame

SINCE the inception of the 2011 municipal council and determining of the district health council by the MEC, the district health council has only been convened once. This is despite many calls from the public health standing committee to the chairperson of the committee in this regard.

The recent reports of poor service at Livingstone Hospital, no medicine at clinics, understaffed clinics, lack of doctors and several more life-threatening issues can be laid squarely at the feet of the public health committee chairperson for her failure to convene the district health council that deals with and acts as a bridge between local, district and provincial health care. The district council has also been without a permanent director for almost two years which further handicaps the district in exercising its mandate – an issue that could be solved by the council.

Politics have taken precedence over delivery to the people. The poor judgment and lack of will of the governing party and its NMBM leadership, putting politics before people, is exposed.

The DA believes in, and will implement when we take over in 2016, a decent communication system and intergovernmental council which will relieve many of the ills that plague our metro district. In the meantime we will exhaust all possible avenues to have the district council convened to address the problems our residents are experiencing.

Francois Greyling, DA councillor for ward 52, Despatch