Simelane warns of impact of budget cuts on KZN health services
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has tabled her department's budget for 2024/2025.
It's nearly R3 billion more than that of the previous financial year.
"The total of the budget is R 53,8 billion," she said on Wednesday.
However, Simelane said KZN Health continues to face increasing financial constraints, and constant budget cuts threaten the department's ability to fulfil its mandate.
READ: Buthelezi: Water waste costing KZN billions
She said the department has lost close to R17 billion in budget cuts since 2019.
"This situation is severely crippling and affects the long-term sustainability of this department and its work. This chronic underfunding of our healthcare system, which I’ve just alluded to, affects many areas of our operations, including our ability to fill many critical posts.
"It also contributes directly to overcrowded facilities and slow-moving queues. Our dedicated healthcare workers, despite their commitment, end up being stretched very thin.
”This leads to burnout and diminished capacity to serve our communities effectively, which is a major concern, given the sensitive and critical nature of the work they do."
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