Deadline set for public health system
Presidential summit highlights Ramaphosa’s priorities
The presidency has acknowledged the crisis gripping the public health system and concluded a twoday summit at the weekend with a commitment to devise a plan for fixing the sector’s ills by early December.
The presidency has acknowledged the crisis gripping the public health system, and concluded a two-day summit at the weekend with a commitment to devise a plan for fixing the sector’s ills by early December.
President Cyril Ramaphosa is taking the lead on health, driving a process aimed at improving the quality of services and speed up implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI).
Only 8.87-million South Africans, or 15.61% of the population, could afford private health care via medical scheme cover in 2017, according to the Council for Medical Schemes, leaving the rest of the population dependent on public health services that have virtually collapsed in many parts of the country.
The presidential health summit highlights the importance Ramaphosa is attaching to health care, and follows a summit on NHI in August.
The latest summit drew more than 600 delegates from across the health-care spectrum, including senior executives from SA’s private hospital groups, pharmaceutical companies and the medical scheme industry, as well as unionists, activists, health-care professionals, MPs, government officials and academics. It closed with a commitment to devise a presidential health summit compact that will be signed by stakeholders by December 10. The presidency will assume oversight of the compact to make sure its goals are met, said Ramaphosa’s adviser on social policy, Olive Shisana.
Deputy President David Mabuza, who addressed the gathering on behalf of Ramaphosa, acknowledged the problems facing health care. He signalled an inclusive approach, saying all sectors had to be involved to realise universal access to health-care services. Ramaphosa has been suffering from a respiratory tract infection and was instructed by his medical team to take time off.
“In the short term, government will prioritise the filling of critical vacant posts to stabilise shortages in key areas of our health system. In the context of fiscal constraints, provinces will be expected to prioritise their financial resource allocations in a manner that ensures that the delivery of quality health care is not compromised,” he said.
Business Unity SA CEO Tanya Cohen said the summit created a platform for collaboration. “A number of very practical steps have been identified, and it is hoped that this provides the basis for concrete action to improve access to decent health care by all South Africans.
“It is clear that the private sector has an important role to play in offering sustainable and efficient solutions to the crisis in healthcare,” she said.