Thursday, 28 March, 2024
HomeWeekly RoundupR1.1bn from provinces for upgrades for SA health facilities to fight pandemic

R1.1bn from provinces for upgrades for SA health facilities to fight pandemic

Provinces in South Africa could pump an estimated R1.1bn into upgrades at nearly 200 health facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Provincial departments will also be allowed to shift up to 8% of their allocated budget to the funding of anti-COVID-19 measures. According to a Cape Argus report, he figures emerged in a response to parliamentary questions posed by DA MP Evelyn Wilson to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize regarding the hospitals that were scheduled to be upgraded in each province to cope with COVID-19 cases, and as well as the cost of proposed upgrades at each hospital.

Mkhize said his department had not yet received the detailed costing from all provinces. “An amount of R1.1bn could be potentially reprioritised from the direct grant to COVID-19 projects. Provinces can also request for a change in their business plans to accommodate these upgrades,” he said.

He also said that budgets available to the provinces were from their equitable share funds as well as from their direct infrastructure grants. The minister said that provincial departments were allowed to shift funds between main divisions of the budget of up to 8% towards spending on the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cape Argus reports that last month, the National Treasury announced the special adjustment budget guidelines that outline the processes it plans to run to table the special budget from 24 June. This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared on 15 March a state of national disaster.

The special adjustment budget guidelines state that departments are required to identify programmes or activities that can be temporarily suspended without negatively impacting their longevity. These would be programmes already put on hold during the lockdown, projects with implementation dates moved to the next financial year and spending that is not critical to the core of service delivery requirements of departments.

 

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