Partnerships are key to the success of NHI
EVERY parent in this country has had their fair share of tending to a sick child.
But the worst nightmare is when a parent realises that a sick child is not responding to basic treatment.
The comfort of knowing your child can be rushed to a nearby hospital or clinic for professional medical care is, unfortunately, not enjoyed by all citizens.
Although some know they will receive immediate professional and high-standard care, the large majority know they will have to wait in queues to either receive substandard treatment or, worse still, be turned away after waiting for hours.
The untenable reality that access to decent and quality healthcare services is determined by one’s ability to pay for them is one of the greatest travesties of our time.
Access to healthcare, regardless of one’s socio-economic circumstances, is a fundamental right enshrined in our Constitution.
The Hindu Unity Movement (HUM) believes that the objectives of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill have considerable merit.
But if the NHI is to deliver on its mandate, infrastructure at public hospitals must be improved and developed.
The government has acknowledged that existing facilities designed for old systems and technology must be improved and upgraded if NHI is to be successful.
Although the NHI will not manage hospitals, clinics or the practices of other health care professionals, they will be contracting practitioners to provide these services.
It cannot be business as usual for the already constrained public health system.
Private health care facilities would also need to adapt their system and structures to address the intake of NHI patients, as they will be expected to deliver primary health care to more people than they are accustomed to. Public-private partnerships are vital to creating meaningful solutions.
While the Department of Health has a wealth of expertise, achieving health care infrastructure that meets the needs and requirements of the NHI is likely to be more efficient if professionals experienced in healthcare development are afforded the opportunity to contribute.
Health care is a right entrenched in the Constitution.
But this right can only be delivered effectively through the goals of the NHI if healthcare environments are designed and adapted or built for the needs of the community they serve.
JAYRAJ BACHU National leader Hindu Unity Movement