Note to Editors: Find attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by DA North West Spokesperson on Health, Gavin Edwards.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West will submit written questions to the MEC for Department of Health, Madoda Sambatha, regarding the Orkney EMS Training College that has now become a white elephant.
During an oversight inspection of the facility by the Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Health, it was discovered that lecturers sit outside, as they have no students to tutor.
One of the reasons why there are no students is because the facility does not qualify for accreditation and therefore universities do not want to partner with it.
The ablution facilities are unusable (see pictures here and here), student accommodation is dilapidated due to lack of maintenance and ceilings are collapsing (see pictures here and here). There is no internet connection, making it impossible for lecturers to do any online research, or send or receive emails.
Since 2019, not a single student graduated from this facility, despite the fact that millions of Rand is allocated here every year.
We further find it highly irregular that the Principal of the College, Arthur Malgas, is currently also acting in the position of Director. This exposes the inadequate reporting lines within the Department which directly impacts service delivery to the public.
It is within the power of the Principal to ensure that the College is accredited and therefore he should be removed for the poor condition the College is in as a result of his negligence.
The DA has previously raised the shortage of Advanced Life Support (ALS) Paramedics and Ambulance Emergency Assistants in the province, after which the MEC entered into discussions with the CSIR and other service providers in an attempt to resolve this issue. The expectation was that at least one paramedic from each district would qualify, but this has not materialised.
MEC Sambatha must put an end to any further wastage of taxpayers’ money and also explain why this facility is not accredited and utilised for the purpose it has been founded – to train emergency services staff.