Analysis: Making access to surgical care a reality in district hospitals

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, Northern Cape, Provinces

Earlier this year, Spotlight published a two-part series on the human cost of surgery waiting times and asked what could be done about it. One such solution proposed by some is to devolve less complicated surgical care procedures to district hospitals. The AfroSurg3 Conference held in September, which brought together surgical stakeholders from 11 African countries to improve access to care, shed some light on how this might work. Alicestine October reports.

Analysis: Making access to surgical care a reality in district hospitals

ANALYSIS: Mixed feelings about NHI at public health conference

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, NHI

National Health Insurance (NHI) was one of the hot topics at the 2022 Public Health Association of South Africa Conference recently held in Durban. While several speakers and attendees expressed support for the principles underpinning NHI, many also expressed reservations. Elri Voigt assesses what the conference told us about the views of some of South Africa’s public health experts on NHI.

ANALYSIS: Mixed feelings about NHI at public health conference

OPINION: Clinical associates can transform healthcare in SA, we should support them

Posted in: Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest

South Africa is among the most unequal countries in the world with a huge quadruple burden of disease and to address this we need hands. Professor Parimalaranie Yogeswaran argues that we should maximise the untapped potential of clinical associates to beef up the clinical health workforce.

OPINION: Clinical associates can transform healthcare in SA, we should support them

Opinion: Better data is first step in improving services for persons with disabilities

Posted in: COVID-19, Healthcare system, Latest

South Africa ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities in 2007 – but the data needed to track the implementation of the convention in South Africa is often incomparable across sectors, of low quality, or completely lacking. This limits civil society’s ability to hold the government accountable and makes it impossible to ensure equity for marginalised groups in how government plans, budgets, and implements services, argues Rural Rehab South Africa’s outgoing chair, Maryke Bezuidenhout.

Opinion: Better data is first step in improving services for persons with disabilities

Healthcare problems persist at ‘ideal clinics’, studies show

Posted in: Gauteng, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, NHI, Provinces

The ideal clinic programme has been one of government’s key healthcare interventions in recent years. An extensive review conducted of the initiative in Gauteng suggests that outcomes are mixed. Elri Voigt reports on findings from four studies on the programme presented at last week’s Public Health Association of South Africa conference in Durban.

Healthcare problems persist at ‘ideal clinics’, studies show

COVID-19 blamed for shortcomings of ‘ideal clinics’ in Free State

Posted in: COVID-19, Free State, Healthcare system, Latest, NHI, Provinces

There are 83 clinics – down from 153 in 2018/19 – in the Free State with Ideal Clinic status, meaning they have adequate staff, infrastructure, and medicines, among others. For many primary health facilities, this accreditation status is crucial for the National Health Insurance, however, some of these ideal clinics still have various shortcomings. Refilwe Mochoari reports.

COVID-19 blamed for shortcomings of ‘ideal clinics’ in Free State

EDITORIAL: Government claims to value healthcare workers, its actions suggest it does not

Posted in: Editorial, Latest

The headline-making persecution of paediatrician Dr Tim de Maayer is part of a wider trend whereby principled public sector healthcare workers are often abandoned to the whims of managers who are vindictive, incompetent, or both. Add the slow movement on South Africa’s healthcare worker policy, the poor management of the Health Professions Council, and the short shrift given to healthcare workers’ concerns about National Health Insurance, and the picture that emerges makes a mockery of government’s talk of valuing healthcare workers.

EDITORIAL: Government claims to value healthcare workers, its actions suggest it does not

NHI Lawmakers: Interview with FF Plus MP Philip van Staden

Posted in: Access to Medicines, Healthcare system, Latest, NHI

On being a member of Parliament, Philip van Staden from the Freedom Front Plus says he is living his childhood dream. Biénne Huisman spoke to him about his career in politics, his thoughts on national health insurance, his passion for the health portfolio, and his time as a member of the Gauteng Legislature after the Life Esidimeni tragedy.

NHI Lawmakers: Interview with FF Plus MP Philip van Staden

Opinion: The new health system we build through the NHI must be green

Posted in: Spotlight

The recent floods in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape showed us how climate change harms people’s health and healthcare services. On the other hand, modern health care systems contribute to climate change through large greenhouse gas emissions. In the development of South Africa’s National Health Insurance system we have an opportunity to address both these sides of the challenge that climate change poses for health systems, argues Dr Louis Reynolds of the People’s Health Movement SA.

Opinion: The new health system we build through the NHI must be green

ANALYSIS: NHI Bill – clause-by-clause headbutting begins in Parliament

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, NHI, Sections

In what is expected to become a verbal minefield littered with the usual ideological quips, the members of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health this week started the clause-by-clause deliberations on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill. Alicestine October assesses the first leg of the deliberations and issues set to pop up in the next round of deliberations, starting with clause 5 of the Bill next week.

ANALYSIS: NHI Bill – clause-by-clause headbutting begins in Parliament

Opinion: District hospitals will be key to NHI, empower them

Posted in: Latest, NHI

The successful implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) will rely heavily on effective governance at district level. The NHI Bill correctly identifies district hospitals as key during the early transitional NHI phases. Failing to capacitate them for the challenges ahead could prove disastrous, argues Russell Rensburg and Claire Botha.

Opinion: District hospitals will be key to NHI, empower them

Opinion: Reframing the right to healthcare in terms of insurance cover is a bad idea

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, NHI

Framing the fundamental human right to healthcare as insurance cover opens it up for exploitation. It blocks any possibility of achieving equity in health care. Here Dr Louis Reynolds from the People’s Health Movement of South Africa explains why and how.