State health ‘needs partners’

HEALTH director-general Precious Matsoso has launched a strong appeal to the private health sector to come up with good “contracting models” whereby the state could, as an example, partner with private doctors to deliver services.

Addressing the annual Hospital Association of South Africa conference yesterday, Matsoso said that in some instances “rather than erecting another clinic we could use the money to contract GPs”.

She said although it may be a difficult decision in some instances it may be necessary if the government wanted to roll out a Universal Healthcare or National Health Insurance (NHI) system.

Addressing the private sector health care providers, Matsoso said that the sector could also play a role in making facilities available to train state employees on how to maintain the quality of services. She said some of these processes could be launched this financial year.

Indications are that the government wants to use some of the NHI pilot sites to try out the model whereby GPs deliver some of the services. However it is also known that Health Minster Aaron Motsoaledi is insisting that this be paid for from national budgets. This would reduce the risk of provinces not paying providers and services grinding to a halt.

Matsoso also said that if SA failed to address HIV and TB it might as well, in the words of the health minister, “close shop”.

She said although the indicators on HIV were good, there were still pockets where there was an upward trend.

She ascribed the improvement in SA’s life expectancy to the success of the antiretroviral treatment programme.

“But no matter what we do the weakness of the health system is undermining our ability to respond and the intervention cannot be government alone, we need partners.” She said Universal Healthcare did not mean the state had to provide everything. – Health-e News Service