Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has pledged R416m for much-needed upgrades in Mthatha’s Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital while taking a jab at Israel’s bilateral agreements with AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, relating to planned upgrades at the same hospital.
Mabuyane made this pledge in Bhisho on Thursday, while delivering his second state of the province address in this new term of governance.
Mabuyane said before the end of this year, the provincial government will complete the construction of a cancer unit at the hospital in Mthatha.
“We have invested R416m in this project so that people can access these services closer to home,” he said.
Mabuyane used his address to also take a veiled jab towards the recent Israeli embassy’s diplomatic visit to Mthatha Hospital and Nelson Mandela Academic.
Their visit was organised by Dalindyebo, who visited the facilities together with Israeli diplomat David Saranga in late January.
Saranga has since been deported from SA.
The delegation visited the two facilities without the provincial government’s blessings, much to Mabuyane’s annoyance.
“I don’t want us to be confused and think hospitals in Mthatha are not being looked after and are in the care of people from Israel. They are being taken care of by the government.
“We don’t want help from Israelis in that region,” said Mabuyane.
Mabuyane further said the provincial government is determined to reduce dependence on other provinces for highly specialised healthcare services.
“Last month, this government launched a new state-of-the-art in vitro fertilisation clinic there to assist women who are struggling to conceive babies. The clinic is only the fourth public health facility in South Africa to offer such IVF services.
“We are decentralising specialist services and bringing them closer to communities.
“Nelson Mandela Central Hospital recently opened a state-of-the-art urology unit.
“I must hasten to add this was made possible by a donation of R3.5m from a mining company.
“We welcome all forms of donations, but state protocols must be observed, and transparency is vital,” he said.
Mabuyane said the province has established a renal dialysis unit at St Elizabeth Regional Hospital in Ingquza Hill municipality.
“As a result, patients from the far northeastern part of our province will no longer travel to Mthatha Regional Hospital for these services.
“We are establishing more renal dialysis units in Chris Hani and Sarah Baartman in the next financial year,” he said.
The broader goal, Mabuyane said, is to ensure that each district has a bucket of basic specialist services in the next three years.
Daily Dispatch