Page 7 - DPSA - Service Delivery Report

“Municipalities with material compli- ance findings on supply chain man- agement increased from 72% to 81%. Both these are the highest percentag- es of non-compliance the AGSA has reported since 2011/12,” he said.
Although irregular expenditure had decreased, Kimi Makwethu said the figure could be much higher as R4 bil- lion was of those municipalities whose audits had not been completed by the cut-off date of the report.
“In total, R17.3 billion (81%) of the ir- regular expenditure related to expens- es incurred in 2017/18 – representing
5% of local government expenditure budget.
“This total includes R6.4 billion in pay- ments made on contracts irregular- ly awarded in previous years – if the non-compliance was not investigated and condoned, the payments on these multi-year contracts continue to be viewed and disclosed as irregular,” he said.
Makwethu bemoaned the continued lack of consequences for transgres- sions and irregularities, saying there continued to be a failure to investigate findings.
The AG said 74% of municipalities did not adequately follow up on allegations of financial and supply chain manage- ment misconduct and fraud, while 45% of councils did not have the required mechanisms for reporting and investi- gating.
The AG said the governance lapses in local government could only be turned around if leadership takes the lead in the drive towards clean administration in the public sector.
– SAnews.gov.za
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
A doctor where patients pay what they can afford
NEWS IN BRIEF
Dr Paulo de Valdoleiros, also known as the Walk-In Doctor, has created a massive (and important) online con- versation after opening his medical practice in Westdene in Bloemfontein on 17 June 2019. His practice... and the idea to offer his services are not what is making waves, but rather the fact that he is asking patients to pay what they can afford!
“Basically, the concept was I can take care of anybody – you pay what you can afford. So, I see the patient; I ex- amine if necessary. We give out basic
medication, and by basic medication, I mean the type of medicine that has been around for about 40 years, so it is relatively cheap. So a little session of antibiotics costs us around R20 to R25.
We don’t charge for any of this. I see the patient; I give them medication if necessary. You then go to the recep- tion, and you decide your fee. The staff is trained not to tell you what it is or what it isn’t because we don’t have a set fee. It’s what you decide, what you can afford – it’s between you and your conscience.
In a sense, I’m getting people to make decisions they never had to make. I feel that just because you don’t have money shouldn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to see a doctor,” he said in a telephonic interview with Gateway News.
De Valdoleiros explained to Bloem- fontein Courant that no bookings are necessary, as they work on a first come, first serve basis, but patients are welcome to call first if they would like. He says that his sole interest is in
primary health care and providing for day-to-day health and medical needs, and teaching people to take better care of their bodies to live healthier longer lives.
“There are so many people who really need help but cannot afford it,” said De Valdoleiros.
De Valdoleiros moved to South Africa from Mozambique when he was just 14 years old but had always had a dream of helping people. Unfortunately, he simply could not afford medical school as his family were quite poor so opt- ed to start working as soon as he was done with school.
Itwasattheageof46whenthede- termined Good Samaritan managed to enrol in medical school at the Universi- ty of the Free State and finally graduat- ed at 51. Speaking to Gateway News, he explained that he later did another study in functional medicine (which is a speciality in the USA but is not taught in South Africa). He is also a regular guest on the health-product-oriented Real Health Show on the Home Chan- nel on DStv.
Volume 12 No.3 of 2019 | SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEW 5