Cape Town - The South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) has only 11 assessment doctors in the Western Cape despite a backlog of more than 1 600 applications for temporary disability grants.
This is according to a parliamentary response by Minister of Social Development, Lindiwe Zulu, to a question from DA MP, Alexandra Abrahams.
Abrahams wanted to know what the backlog status in each province was in relation to temporary disability grants as well as what number of temporary disability grants had lapsed due to the lack of Sassa assessment doctors, among others.
According to Zulu, in the Western Cape there is a backlog of 1 693 cases, a further 7 297 beneficiaries waiting to be assessed while 7 083 grants had lapsed.
“The total assessment backlog picture inclusive of all the provinces, stands at 2 818 as of March 18, 2023. A total of 232 505 temporary disability grants have lapsed between April 2022 and February 2023.”
She confirmed that in the Western Cape, Sassa had 11 assessment doctors contracted.
“Sassa has contracted a total of 315 doctors across the country, however, it should be noted that for the Western Cape region, assessments are largely conducted through Service Level Agreements held with the Districts Health Care System.
In the Western Cape tertiary, secondary and districts hospitals also undertake assessments to in-patient clients deemed to be meeting the eligibility criteria prior to their discharge,” she said.
Bonteheuwel Disabled Group's, David Pillay said people were often sent from pillar to post, left without much-needed funds for months.
“A lot of people are affected.
Sometimes people only get grants for six months, now they have to renew - they need to see a doctor, then the doctor is never there.
Sometimes they have to wait three, four months. You also can’t just pitch at the hospital, you have to go back to Sassa for another date and there are no offices in our townships.
Something must be done and Sassa needs to spread out with mobile offices to make it easier for people.”
Zulu said Sassa has a backlog strategy including recruiting additional doctors and engaging the Western Cape Public Health System/ clinicians on the eligibility criteria and lobbying them to undertake assessments.
Abrahams said: “SASSA must consider all possible avenues to ensure vulnerable South Africans do not suffer as a result of SASSA’s administrative shortcomings.”
Cape Times