Mliswa says parliamentarians are sleeping on the job- they are making us look stupid

HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care, in his absence, leader of the House.  Most Government hospitals in general are incapacitated in terms of essential medicines such that when citizens go for services in these hospitals, they are being asked to go and buy these essential medicines on their own.  A good example is United Bulawayo Hospital whereby anesthetic drugs are not available resulting in the hospital not doing surgery.  What is Government policy in ensuring that hospitals are capacitated so that there is adequate medication all the time?

THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  Every year, this House passes a budget and we have a Committee that sits to monitor the disbursement – that is the Portfolio Committee on Health.  I implore the Members that when the Minister comes, be it with a supplementary budget or the actual budget, to ensure that our health facilities are allocated sufficient resources to last the financial year.  This is a very important question but I believe that we as Hon. Members also have a part to play to ensure that our health facilities are adequately funded.

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HON. CHIDAKWA: Is the Minister aware that as Parliament, we always pass this budget but the problem is when the Minister of Finance and Economic Development disburses funds to the Ministry of Health and Child Care.  May we ask how much was disbursed against that which we voted for in this august House?

THE HON. SPEAKER: That seems to be a specific question relating to a specific observation.  I think the Hon. Minister of Health will be coming to give a Ministerial Statement, so if you could ask that question accordingly.

HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order! I want to concur with Hon. Ziyambi that the Portfolio Committees are supposed to get monthly, quarterly, yearly reports from the ministries to see if the money is coming through.

The Minister is correct, the Portfolio Committees are not working in your Parliament, they are sleeping on duty; that then supervises whether the money is coming or not and then they can call the Minister to come through.  The Public Financial Management Act is not being adhered to; monthly, quarterly and yearly reports should be coming in so that you have a case to say the money is not coming through.

Portfolio Committees are not working, you have to whip the Portfolio Chairpersons. They are sleeping on duty and the Public Accounts Committee in Nyanga also came up with that recommendation.  They must wake up and the Government Chief Whip must remove certain Members. Do not put them as friends, you need competent people.  They are failures and they are making us look stupid, reshuffle them.

THE HON. SPEAKER: What the Hon. Leader of Government Business has stated buttressed by what Hon. Mliswa has clarified, the onus is on us to demand the monthly, quarterly and yearly reports.  In the process, you should discover the anomalies.  Thank you.

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