Public financial management reforms and service delivery in the Northern Cape department of Health
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Date
2022
Authors
Motsitsi, Constance Brenda
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
Since becoming a democratic country in 1994, the South African government has implemented various public financial management reforms that aimed to improve financial management and enhance service delivery. However, twenty-eight years later this aim has not yet been achieved as the public sector still faces poor financial management, along with inadequate service delivery. The Northern Cape Department of Health is one of the public sector provincial government departments that has implemented multiple public financial management reforms with the aim of enhancing the provision and quality of public healthcare services to the citizens of the Northern Cape. This study investigates the relationship between public financial management reforms and service delivery, with the aim of understanding why, despite the implementation of the reforms, a disconnect remains between these two concepts, with little or no evidence of improved service delivery. The study employed a qualitative case study research design in its quest to achieve the research aim. Data was collected from the identified sample using an interview guide, which allowed the researcher to ask relevant questions relating directly to the research phenomenon. The analysis provides a detailed understanding of the challenges that negatively affect the effective implementation of public financial management reforms, which subsequently results in poor service delivery. The analysis shows that the public financial management reforms implemented within the Northern Cape Department of Health do not directly result in improved service delivery due to influences, interferences, and incompetency that can be linked to the "human factor". The role of the executive authority, senior management, and middle management in the management and functional operations of the department is the key reason for the disconnect between public financial management reforms and service delivery within the department. From the findings of the study, it is concluded that in order for public financial management reforms to be effective and enhance service delivery within the department, it has to implement drastic and necessary measures that focus on eliminating political interference, strengthening administrative leadership, and appointing skilled and competent personnel. Effective service delivery is possible but requires officials who understand the importance of fiscal discipline, quality service delivery, and strong leadership.
Description
Thesis (Ph.D.(Public Administration and Management))--University of the Free State, 2022
Keywords
Budget implementation/execution, challenges/bottlenecks, economically/economic, effectiveness/effective, efficiency/efficient, government, Northern Cape Department of Health (NCDoH), public financial management reforms, research gap/knowledge gap, service delivery, value-for-money service delivery, sustainable/sustainability, public financial management, public sector, transformation