Question NW692 to the Minister of Health
11 April 2018 - NW692
Kopane, Ms SP to ask the Minister of Health
Whether each operator employed by the Buthelezi Ambulance Service in the Free State holds the necessary qualifications, particularly the (a) Basic Ambulance Assistant Certificate, (b) Ambulance Emergency Assistant Certificate and (c) Critical Care Assistant Certificate; if not, in each case, (i) why not and (ii) how does his department and the Free State Department of Health allow the specified ambulance service to operate in the province without the necessary qualifications; if so, (aa) how was this verified by his department or the Free State department of health, (bb) how many ambulances are operational in the province and (cc) what are the qualifications of each operator and support staff respectively for each ambulance?
Reply:
Honourable Member, before even checking issues of compliance with qualifications of the Buthelezi Ambulance Services in the Free State, I want to know how this service was procured in the first place.
It looks like there has been a breach of several Treasury regulations and the PFMA itself.
Because this is a procurement matter at a Provincial level, the relevant authority to investigate this is the Treasury.
On the 8th March 2018 I wrote to the Minister of Finance and requested that the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) in the National Treasury investigate this matter. As soon as I get the outcome of the investigation I will revert back to you. I regard this matter as a scene of a crime and will wait for National Treasury to show direction and take it up from there.
END.