Premier Zamani Saul claimed that service delivery was “on point“ in the Northern Cape.
PREMIER Zamani Saul claimed that service delivery was “on point“ in the Northern Cape.
Saul was speaking during his recent State of the Province Address (Sopa) that was hosted in Calvinia.
He pointed out that ambulance response times had improved in the Namakwa District, while 14 additional ambulances had been delivered to the region.
“There will be nine ambulances and 10 patient transport vehicles. I encourage the community to bring their dissatisfaction regarding ambulance services to the attention of the Department of Health.
“It was rumoured that services were brought to the district because Sopa was hosted in Calvinia this year. This is not the case. Children are being taught in schools during the week and provided with at least one nutritious meal per day. Every month beneficiaries are receiving their social grants and every day health services are being rendered in the district.
“Municipal and government services are rendered to the community every day.”
Saul stated that 54 ambulances would be purchased to replace the ageing fleet, 14 of which would have off-road capabilities.
He added that a R180 million upgrade project would address the drought and water restrictions in the Hantam district.
“Low rainfall patterns have a negative impact on the ability of the municipality to provide water. This investment will create job opportunities for people living in the region.”
He noted that Vodacom central region had invested R230 million in the Province to expand broadband coverage in deep rural areas.
“MTN is planning to build 25 new connectivity sites and modernise 48 sites in our Province at an estimated cost of R180 million.
“In total, Vodacom and MTN will invest about R410 million this financial year to ensure connectivity and drive inclusive digital access in the Province.”
Saul stated that 1,599 sites would be implemented by the SA Connect Project over the next three years in clinics and schools in the Province to expand access to internet services and improve the efficiency of public services.
He added that they had conceptualised an app for a digital Thusong Service Centre project where government services would be accessible from a cellphone.
“The appointment of software developers is at a final stage.”
Saul stated that all public and special needs schools were supplied with internet routers with three gigabytes of data per month.
“This remains a temporary measure given the fact that connectivity at schools is not only needed for administration purposes, but more so for teaching and learning.
“The department has been engaging different role-players to ensure that all Northern Cape public schools are connected during this second phase of SA Connect.”
He added that the Fourth Industrial Revolution was transforming the way health-care services were provided.
“These scientific and technological advances promise to yield breakthrough diagnoses and therapies including precision medicine and medical cures. These technological advances will transform public health care.
“The implementation of the digital patient record system will continue this year.”
Saul said that the emergency digital call centre in Upington and Kimberley had shown an increase in the number of calls received from an average of 3,000 to 10,000 calls per month.
“We also note the improvement from 45 percent to 85 percent in the management of calls for ambulances.”
