Note to Editors: Please find an attached soundbite by Gizella Opperman MP.
South Africa does not have enough Environmental Health Practitioners (EHP) to deal with the hundreds of registered and thousands of unregistered Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs and centres.
South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Portfolio Head for Health, Community Services and Inclusivity, Nozibele Makanda, revealed the shortfall of 4 293 EHPs in answer to a DA question during a parliamentary portfolio meeting between the Department of Social Development (DSD) and SALGA.
In fact, the country falls short of compliance of the norms and standards of the National Environmental Health policy, which states that there should be an EHP should be provided for every 10 000 members of the population. In South Africa, the current ratio as divulged last year September at the Environmental Health Indaba, is one EHP for every 35 000 people. According to the National Environmental Health norms and standards, an EHP should also visit ECD centres every quarter, yet currently, they are only able to do so once a year.
The appointment of skilled Environmental Health Practitioners that are qualified to address the needs in the local government sphere is therefore crucial, especially if we take into account the Children’s Amendment Bill’s fast approaching court deadline.
EHPs does only have a massive impact in terms of ECD centres, but also on provisions of emergency shelters for the homeless, prevention of communicable diseases, municipal waste management, sanitation, management of human remains, water quality, food control, health surveillance of premises and funerals and undertakers.
The intergovernmental relations between the Departments of Basic Education, Health, Environmental Affairs, Social Development, and Water and Sanitation need to be strengthened for effective cooperative governance to take place, and to strengthen provisions for environmental health services in the country.
Without urgent intervention, and given the various capacity and financial constraints within local government, the question remains whether municipalities will be able to implement the Children’s Amendment Bill when the time arrives.