Creecy: Gauteng Health was never told to cut down on mental health services

Creecy told the Life Esidimeni arbitration hearings that Treasury never requested any department, and especially the health department, to cut down on core services such as mental health care.

She says despite the department debts in 2014, the provincial government nevertheless adjusted the department's budget upwards each financial year.

"In 2014/15 the budget was R1.161 billion, and it was adjusted upwards to R1.190 billion, the actual expenditure was R1.237 billion and there was an over expenditure of R47 million. In 2015/16 the over expenditure of the previous year is taken over, these services received R1.268 billion which was was adjusted to R1.289 billion and there was an under-expenditure of R60 million," Creecy said. "If you read the Life Esidimeni line there is a reduction of the budget, but there is money going elsewhere. So overall in all in terms of mental health services there was no decrease from the side of provincial government." 

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This contradicts testimony given by Mahlangu and other officials, who all claim the Life Esidimeni contract was terminated due to budgetary constraints.

Creecy said Mahlangu and her team presented a plan to Premier David Makhura's Budget Council in November 2014, revealing plans to terminate the Life Esidimeni contract. 

The department's plans did not include the moving of patients to NGOs. 

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"Our understanding of the presentatiom was that the intention was to gradually close down services offered by Esidimeni. The intention was to absorb these patients into departmental institutions. They did not say into NGOs, but rather departmental institutions," Creecy said. 

She revealed that the department spent R47 million on the NGOs, including R300 000 a day on consultants, despite claiming it had no money.