It was premature to speak about placing the struggling Eastern Cape health department under administration, health minister Joe Phaahla said. Phaahla said he had seen improvements in the province and would assist it to deal with its financial woes.
After contending with old washing machines that often broke down, resulting in delays in washing laundry at Frere Hospital, the Eastern Cape department of health bought a state-of-the-art tunnel washer for R18m.
With the provincial health department having spent most of its goods and services budget just five months into the financial year, there are concerns the department might soon run out of funds for critical healthcare.
“I never imagined something like this could happen to someone like me after all the bad things that I had to go through. Seeing my children looking different from other children broke my heart.”These were the words of Nofika Qalashe, a 31-year-old widow and mother of four who has been bedridden since 2021.
Abject poverty and a sickly mother and toddler in need of care have left three young children with no choice but to put their schooling on hold.The Qalashe siblings aged 13, 11 and nine have been attending school intermittently to look after their three-year-old brother and 29-year-old widowed mother, Nofika, who has been bedridden since 2021.