Nkwinti, at the Health Indibano
29 June 2006
Programme Director,
MEC for Health,
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee,
Honoured guests,
Ladies and gentlemen:
I am honoured to be part of this critically important gathering. The Health
Indibano takes place at a time in our country and the province when all eyes
are fixed on the performance of our health turn around strategy.
Our motto is, "building quality healthcare in Eastern Cape". As a provincial
government we entertain no illusion that we can face these gigantic challenges
alone but only with the full and transparent involvement of our partners. Many
health problems lie outside the direct control of the health sector and affect
the most vulnerable populations, inadequate water and sanitation, improper
waste disposal, overcrowded homes and the dependence on available transport
systems, require our urgent attention. I am therefore excited to see an entire
spectrum of our partners ready to do battle with us.
Healthcare is a partnership between those who need care and those who get
it. In that regard if we are to succeed we have a challenge to conscientise our
communities on critical issues such as healthy lifestyles, increase physical
activities, immunisation of all children as well highlighting the dangers of
high alcohol and tobacco usage.
The first theme of the indibano is, "Strengthening quality of care in
clinics, community health centres and hospitals of the Eastern Cape". The
challenge is obviously a judicious use of our primary healthcare so that we
prevent undue density experienced by hospitals. We need to work on shifting the
minds that say a clinic is less equipped both professionally and in terms of
quality of dispensaries than hospitals.
However, when that is done it would be fruitless if when people visit the
clinics they would be vindicated in their old beliefs. We would have wasted
money and energy to have tried to change their minds in the first place. I hope
that our collective wisdom would produce workable solutions in strengthening
quality care in primary services.
We have come a long way from 1994 when we had four administrative
authorities under which health services were managed. We now face challenges of
a different sort. Having created seven health districts which coincide with the
six district municipalities, our challenge is now the harmonising of
relationships between district hospitals and district management needs.
Cross-boundary health districts with KwaZulu-Natal need to be rationalised.
I am aware that commission five will pour their minds on human resource
capacity. We also need to focus on the challenges of migration of skilled
medical personnel who leave our shores to sell their skills overseas. It is
true that this is a challenge experienced by all free market systems to sell
your wares or skills to the highest bidders.
However, the government invests huge amounts of money in the studies of
those graduates before they disappear to Europe and elsewhere outside the
country. But perhaps we need to strengthen our systems so that there is enough
attraction to stay home through competitive remuneration.
On 21 June 2006 we celebrated the Africa Public Service Day. In her keynote
speech of the day the Premier, honourable Ms Nosimo Balindlela, emphasised the
fact that as Africans we are guided by the spirit of 'ubuntu'. When people who
need our service visit our institutions they should first be cured by our
ubuntu attitude to them. By the time they are medically treated they would
already be half cured.
As we celebrate the youth month we need to motivate youth to go out and
preach the gospel of abstinence, be faithful and condomise. We need to help our
rural areas by extending our services to where they are.
When we look back we begin to appreciate the achievements in the field of
health made because of the calibre of our national Health Minister, our Premier
and MEC for Health and every stakeholder in the province since 1994. As we
celebrate the 30 years of June 1976, the 50 years of the womenâs march, let us
honour those who fell for the freedom we are enjoying by working together so
that the vision of our Provincial Growth and Development Plan (PGDP) of:
* reducing by three quarters the maternal mortality rate by 2014
* reduce by two thirds the under-five mortality rate by 2014
* halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis by 2014
can become a reality.
I wish you a fruitful and successful conference.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Health, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
29 June 2006
Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecdoh.gov.za)
