IZINDABA

A POLITICAL PEACE MAKER FOR HEALTH?

The appointments are reward for the NNP having delivered the Western ‘The scope of activity is Cape to the ANC after amended floor- enormous — I didn’t realise crossing legislation overcame legal how wide ranging it was.’ challenges in the courts. At the time of the SAMJ interview, Schoeman said people dying in Schoeman had spent one hour with waiting rooms or being referred to other Minister Tshablala-Msimang, attended hospitals by bureaucrats was ’the kind four cabinet committee meetings, been of horror story that I’m very taken by. introduced to Health Director General, Whoever these functionaries are, they Dr Ayanda Ntsaluba, and had studied need to rectify that kind of thinking,’ he the health department’s annual report. said. The NNP had always argued that the Renier Schoeman ‘I’m not going to be sucked health portfolio should be elevated into this quagmire of above partisan bickering, and ‘that is still our view’. With six years of deputy ministering controversies.’ under his belt, ’s new A one-time private secretary to Deputy Minister of Health, Renier Finance Minister Owen Horwood (1972 Schoeman, says his main agenda is ‘not ‘We had to agree on certain processes –1980), Schoeman entered party politics to have one set for me’. to fast-track my familiarisation with the in 1981, a time he describes as, ‘already a turning point for the NP’. ‘I’m not going to be sucked into this ministry which will include briefings at quagmire of controversies, which in head office in Pretoria this week. We’ve ‘That was the year the Conservative some cases are artificially encouraged. not moved to specificity yet,’ he Party broke away or were forced out My basic philosophy will be to try and explained. His primary focus would be and we began our long process of self- find commonality and agreement on the familiarising himself with departmental examination,’ he said. many issues,’ he told the SAMJ, two matters. As Deputy Foreign Minister a decade weeks after being sworn in. ‘What I’ve said to myself, and not to later, Schoeman became intimately A former deputy minister of Foreign many other people, is that the whole involved in ‘selling’ the unbanning of Affairs under (1991-1994) and question of the hospital sector taking the ANC to the world. subsequently deputy minister of such a massive chunk of the budget…it As co-leader of the NP in KwaZulu- education in the Government of being so immediate in so many people’s Natal in 1992, he led the referendum National Unity under lives when they’re in need of care, read campaign and soon found himself (1994-1996), Schoeman is under no together with the needs of primary serving under President Nelson illusions about his latest job. health care…in terms of the implication Mandela and Professor Sibusiso Bengu ‘The scope of activity is enormous – I for ordinary people, it’s caught my as Deputy Minister of Education. attention and imagination.’ didn’t realise how wide ranging it was. ‘Apparently my apartheid past didn’t Apart from the massive sectors like While conceding that hospitals were a count that much,’ he said in a direct hospitals and primary health care, you provincial function, he maintained that, side-swipe at recent press reports have the medical aid schemes, ‘this doesn’t mean one can’t interest labelling him ‘an old blood Nat loyalist pharmaceutical control, mental health. oneself’. who joined the party at the height of the It’s massively varied,’ he noted. He saw the challenge as trying to apartheid era’. Deputy President Jacob Zuma, who avoid the ‘either tertiary or primary care Doctors in the public service privately 21 officiated at his swearing in and that of syndrome – we need to strike a balance. expressed hope that Schoeman’s NNP colleague, David Malatsi as Social Anyone will acknowledge that the experience and skills might have a Development deputy minister in primary sector is a challenge all on its positive impact on a ministry in which November, cited the work pressure of own but that doesn’t say tertiary can they have often found themselves the two portfolios as decisive in creating collapse. That would be lunacy,’ he embroiled in human rights disputes. the new posts. added. Chris Bateman

January 2003, Vol. 93, No. 1 SAMJ