The Deputy Minister of Health Dr Molefi Sefularo in Magaliesburg this morning commended the community of local and international scientists and academics for responding positively to a call for partnership, by organising a workshop towards a disease control priorities project that is specific to South Africa.
The disease control priorities project for South Africa aims to determine which effective interventions should be included in a package of care. It has the potential to contribute to health care policy changes, or improved health resources and spending prioritisation, provided it takes account of existing issues and challenges in the health system and pay attention to process, context and stakeholders.
"The broad goals of this disease control priorities project for South Africa augur well with the department's plans. It aims to ensure that health priorities are based on good evidence that the health system is efficient, effective and economic in the face of scarce fiscal resources and that we should determine how best to bridge gaps between research and service leadership with respect to financing for health care. These are noble goals, which we should all strive to achieve, "said Dr Sefularo.
The Deputy Minister told the delegates that relations and partnerships between the ministry and Department of Health and all stakeholders in the health sector, especially academics and researchers would be strengthened during this term of governance. The Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and Deputy Minister intend holding regular and structured meetings that would bring together governmental and non-governmental scientists, researchers and academics, to benefit from the fullest intellectual capacity of South Africa's leading thinkers.
"South Africa needs a body of thinkers who will take a lead in encouraging policy makers, planners, leaders, health professionals and service providers to use information and knowledge that is evidence-based. The country also needs tools that have been benchmarked with the best in the world. Your effort in the Disease Control Priorities Project South Africa (DCP SA) must lead to our increased capacity, as a country, to make better, quality and informed decisions in the health sector. It should also lead to integration and better coordination of scientific communities at home and abroad," said the Deputy Minister.
Dr Sefularo added, "Your efforts to weld together skills and competencies to translate information into knowledge for national priorities are appreciated. Users of health services and the public at large must be empowered by the product that will result from this project to be able to appreciate our sincere toil towards a better life for all, but also to hold us accountable when our decisions compromise their health and resources that are at our disposal."
Findings of diverse research studies reflect that although South Africa spends far more on health sector 8,5 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) than its neighbouring sub-Saharan countries, does not receive good returns on investments, in the form of significantly improved health outcomes.
The main diagnosis is that the health system is poorly aligned and structurally disconnected (i.e. resource allocation structurally disconnected from national policies), that effective information systems are not in place (i.e. bad practices cannot be isolated and removed) and that decision-making is incorrectly located (i.e. conditions of service, asset purchase and maintenance are centralized at the provincial or national level).
"Perhaps one of the most important questions that you must help us to answer is whether above all the explanations that have been proffered for the dismal performance of South Africa on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the human development index in general, is the possibility that somewhere along the way during the first decade of democracy, we rejected or neglected to use such knowledge as contained in the DCP-1 and DCP-2," said the Deputy Minister.
"The answer to that question is rather urgent," he said. "If it is a "yes", I hope you will have the time to show us the tragic moment and the cause and effect. I believe that we will be better off correcting or catching up on the mistakes we made so that when the time comes to incorporate the new scientific information that will be generated by DCP SA, we are not too far down the vicious cycle of harmful policies and other interventions that have caused many observers to speak of our health system as being in crisis."
The Deputy Minister also noted that the design and conduct of the DCP SA would have to take into consideration the final decisions that will be taken, after national consultations, on the needs of the country and conditions necessary for the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI). It may also prove to be critical in informing NHI related decisions such as the selection of the range of health problems and the package of health services that will be supported by the NHI. Further transformation for the National Health System will also need decisive interventions that are evidence-based. "This is one of the ways in which we can ensure that the DCP SA contributes to bringing a better life to the South African nation," said Dr Sefularo.
On 22 July this year, President Mr Jacob Zuma and Sir Richard Branson, together with the Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi and Minister in the Presidency for National Planning Mr Trevor Manuel, launched a partnership on the establishment of a disease control hub in South Africa. This is a Presidential initiative that is scheduled for discussion with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ministers of Health.
The initiative aims to help South Africa and ultimately, the SADC region to fight priority diseases including Tuberculosis, Malaria, AIDS and Diabetes. The Deputy Minister encouraged the DCP SA to find ways of contributing positively to this Presidential Initiative, adding that, "the most immediate potential link is the translation of the information to be collated by the Hub into decisions such as forecasts, prioritisation and responses to emerging health challenges."
The Department of Health is looking forward to a report on the outcome of the workshop and "while resource constraints limit the extent to which we can implement their recommendations," said Dr Sefularo.
"What we won't do is to try to be scientists by reopening debates that have been resolved amongst scientists." The workshop is expected to provide answers to; how to ensure collective ownership of these priorities; to what extent does the existing government policies facilitate or inhibit key stakeholder involvement in health priority setting; what monitoring systems should be in place at different levels to track the effectiveness of interventions identified as key priorities; as well as explore guiding principles and options for priority-setting in South Africa.
Enquiries:
Charity Bhengu
Cell: 083 679 7424
Cell: 079 087 2438
Issued by: Department of Health
11 August 2009
Source: Department of Health (http://www.doh.gov.za/)
