Question NW2379 to the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
08 December 2016 - NW2379
Holomisa, Dr BH to ask the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans
(1)Whether, in light of the amount paid for services consumed in the 2015-16 financial year, as well as the suspended contract and the acknowledged inability of the SA Military Hospitals to meet primary health care needs (details furnished), the goal or objective of providing health and wellness services to military veterans was achieved in the specified year under review by merely stating the number of military veterans allowed to access services that they did not access; (2) why does her department link the increased expenditure in this subprogramme to the increased number of persons insured or assured to access services when neither was possible nor the reported expenditure is linked to the needs of the 14 666 military veterans?
Reply:
1) The Annual Performance Plan of the DMV for 2015/16, which was adopted by Parliament, set the target of providing 8000 military veterans with access to health care. As of 31st March 2016, 8 264 military veterans were authorised to access health care services adding to a total accumulative number of 14 666 as from the 2013/14 financial year to the 2015/16 financial year. This is the indicator the department reports on in the Annual Report and is aligned with Section 5 (1)(i) of the Military Veterans Act, Act 18 of 2011, which of speaks to “access to health care.” As part of its strategic planning processes the department is discussing other indicators which can be used to measure access to health care.
2): The expenditure incurred is for military veterans who have received the healthcare services.