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DA does not support East Cape Health budget

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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is not in support of the R15.1 billion budget for Health. The DA refuses to support a Health budget that does not sufficiently address the basic needs of decent health care for patients as prescribed by our country’s constitution.

There is a very serious need for the Health budget to be completely overhauled and increased by an amount of R3 billion at the very least.

The ANC leadership of this province has seen it fit to decrease the budget for Health for a second year in a row while in reality we need to be increasing our government spending on Health, as the population grows.

We refuse to support a budget that does not address the 27 000 vacancies of critical staff, especially doctors and nurses in the province.

We refuse to support a budget that does not supply efficient funding to pay the salaries of existing doctors and nurses.

We refuse to support a budget that does not even start to address the R19.1 billion health care infrastructure backlog that is increasing by at least R800 million a year.

We refuse to support a budget that cannot supply the 27 x-ray machines needed in the province.

I reiterate my call: the budget must not be passed today.  It needs to be revised and increased by at least R3 billion for this financial year.

John Cupido, MPL

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Port Elizabethan

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