PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

1
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION

• REPORT ON REMUNERATIVE WORK OUTSIDE THE PUBLIC
  SERVICE (RWOPS)
• PRESENTATION TO THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
  PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION
• 14 OCTOBER 2004

2

Structure of Presentation

• Introduction and Background
• Project objectives
• Unpacking RWOPS
• Findings
• Recommendations
• Conclusion

3
Introduction

• In terms of section 195 of the Constitution,
  1996, the PSC is empowered to promote a high
  standard of professional ethics in the public
  service.
• In terms of section 196 (4) (b) of the
  Constitution, 1996, the PSC is empowered to
  investigate , monitor and evaluate the
  organization and administration, and personnel
  practices of the Public Service.
• Principals -Stakeholders are Parliament,
  Legislatures Executive, National and Provincial
  Departments.

4
Background to the project

• The investigation was initiated due to a
  complaint received from Gauteng nurses concerning
  the non- compliance with the Code of Conduct with
  respect to RWOPS
• - health professionals perform RWOPS without
• prior approval.
• - abuse of sick leave (fraudulent) to undertake
• RWOPS.
• - theft of state assets for private use.

5
Background

• -
• Investigation was conducted at Johannesburg and
  Pretoria Academic Hospitals.
• Interviews (with questionnaires) were held with
  health professionals
• - Nurses, doctors and allied health
  professionals
• - HR Staff.
• - Chief Executive Officers.
• - Hospital health advisory committees.
• - Health Professions Council of South Africa .
• - South African Nursing Council.
• - Senior managers in the Gauteng Health
  Department.

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Project Objectives

• To assess the level of compliance with COC,
• with specific reference to RWOPS.
• To identify the key ethical issues and problems
• related to moonlighting .
• To determine some of the general working
• conditions in hospitals and the possible
  negative
• effect thereof on personnel.

7
Knowledge of the Public Service Regulations

• 51 officials out of a sample of 200 indicated
  that they were fairly acquainted with the COC
  whilst 7 staff stated that they were unaware of
  it.
• 58 officials out of a sample of 200 indicated
  they were aware of the departmental policy which
  regulates RWOPS.
• Others respondents did not answer the question
• Only 12 of all respondents indicated that
  employees comply with the provisions of the COC
• 88 of the respondents indicated that employees
  and senior management do not adhere to the COC.

8
Reasons given for moonlighting by nurses and
doctors

• Non-recognition of performance by senior
  management
• Common justifications are that everyone else is
  doing it, and public officials are poorly paid
  and deserve an extra reward.
• Working conditions at state hospitals.
• Some specialists are invited by private hospitals
  to offer their skills and knowledge.
• Delays in processing RWOPS application forms by
  management.

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Findings

• There is abuse of official working hours and
  scapegoats are often sought to cover up.
• Sick leave is abused.
• Approved leave with full pay is misused for work
  in other state hospitals.
• Moonlighting activities occur during the day and
  night (24hours).
• A person who works a 24-hours day becomes
  exhausted and stressed. This puts patients at
  risk.

10
Findings

• 50 of Specialists doctors own private clinics
  and often abuse official time and sick leave to
  moonlight at their clinics.
• Health officials believe their salaries are not
  competitive e.g. Medical officer receives R115
  575 and Nursing Assistants receive R31 695 per
  annum (2002 2003).
• In 2002 the majority of nurses and doctors who
  moonlight at Gauteng hospitals (Public and
  Private)came mainly from
• Eastern Cape
• KwaZulu-Natal
• Limpopo
• Mpumalanga
• Free State

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• There is a need to investigate the current salary
  structure of health professionals
• Other conditions of service
• - Some doctors be required to work only five-hour
  shifts per day (5/8 hours), as opposed to the
  normal eight-hour shifts that currently apply
• - Such doctors be remunerated pro rata for
  working shorter shifts
• This should apply to a percentage of posts
  depending on the workload or type of service
  required.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• The Department of Health should review the
  conditions of employment of full-time health
  professionals doing moonlighting through private
  agencies within the public service.
• A clocking system should be implemented to
  control
• absenteeism
• unauthorized leave
• and to ensure that officials are remunerated for
  actual hours worked.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• There is a need to improve the RWOPS policy
  according to international best practice
• create measures that will address the conflict of
  interest
• changing circumstances arising from approved
  RWOPS
• the utilization of paid and unpaid leave as well
  as unpaid voluntary work.
• Quarterly printouts of sick leave records
  captured on PERSAL should be made available to
  line managers so that the trends for each
  employee can be ascertained with regards to the
  following

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• (i) The day of the week on which sick leave
  commences.
• (ii) The duration of sick leave taken.
• (iii) The number of sick leave days utilized.
• (iv) Sick leave taken preceding and subsequent
  to public holidays.
• (v) The total salary cost of sick leave.
• The nature of illness.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• In order to improve the delays in
  processing RWOPS
• application forms
• - A dedicated human resource component should be
• assigned the aforementioned task,and weekly
  reports
• should be submitted to the Chief Executive
  Officer.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• Annual audits of RWOPS applications should be
  conducted by means of, among others, comparing
  the records kept by HR components with the
  corresponding records kept by doctors or nursing
  personnel.

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CONCLUSION

• Portfolio Committee should seriously consider the
  PSC
• recommendations.
• PSC will monitor implementation of its
  recommendations on a six monthly basis.

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• THANK YOU