Colleagues
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to speak to you as you meet here to chart a way forward for the delivery of quality maternal and child care to the majority of the people of our province, and country.
Last week, we met here as the department to review our performance for quarters three and four and also adopt key priorities for the last lap of the current administration. As a mother and child hospital; you are expected to speak louder on the realisation of Millennium Development Goals four and five, that is reducing child mortality and improving maternal health by 2015 - in the main.
When the MEC addressed us during this meeting, he spoke as a man who has been to the mountain top and seen the future. He said, I paraphrase, we are on track on becoming the best performing department in the Gauteng government and best health department in the country. I could not agree more!
During my address at last week's meeting I reminded colleagues of the underpinnings from whence we derive our mandate. Today, I wish to indulge you and share these with you too.
Let me start from the beginning.
On 25 and 26 June 1955, men and women of all colours, creed and religions met at the historic Congress of the People that was convened in Kliptown, here Johannesburg. The Congress represented a crucial historical moment in establishing a new order based on the will of the people.
In the world renown Freedom Charter document they declared;
'A preventive health scheme shall be run by the state;
'Free medical care and hospitalisation shall be provided for all, with special care for mothers and young children'.
When the ruling party was preparing for government it developed, in 1994, what is known as 'A National Health Plan for South Africa'. This document was the forerunner for the transformation of the healthcare system in South Africa.
The Plan articulates the vision of a public healthcare system in a democratic South Africa. According to the Plan, the national health care delivery system must be transformed in order to attain the following:
- ensuring that the emphasis is on health and not only on medical care.
- redressing the harmful effects of apartheid health care services.
- encouraging and developing comprehensive health care practises that are in line with international norms, ethics and standards.
- emphasising that all health workers have an equally important role to play in the health system, and ensuring that team work is a central component of the health system.
- recognising that the most important component of the health system is the community, and ensuring that mechanisms are created for effective community participation, involvement and control.
- introducing management practises that are aimed at efficient and compassionate health care delivery.
- ensuring respect for human rights, and accountability to the users of health facilities and the public at large.
- reducing the burden and risk of disease affecting the health of all South Africans.
It is in this context that we need to understand section 27 of the Constitution. Section 27 enjoins us to ensure that:
- Everyone has the right to have access to -(a) health care services, including reproductive health care;
- The state must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of each of these rights.
- No one may be refused emergency medical treatment.
Colleagues
I thought it important to share these fundamentals as a way of reminding us of our obligations to the people of South Africa. Our tasks are clear and we dare not fail the nation on these.
Our responsibility is to ensure that we deliver quality healthcare. Provision of quality healthcare is not a given. It is a human rights imperative and an outcome of strengthened management and accountability within the system.
The late Deputy Minister of Health Dr Molefi Sefularo once reminded that; 'What is not said often or clearly enough is that the lack of quality in our health services is a violation of the human rights of our people, especially women, rural people and the poor. It is they who suffer preventable and avoidable deaths of breadwinners and loved ones because of poor quality care'.
He further reminded us that in achieving quality health care, 'our first priority lies in recognising that health care, and indeed all public service, is based on values of caring, dedication and integrity'. This, he added, 'highlights that if we are to serve the public and use public money most effectively, there has to be stronger accountability for how we do our work to meet quality standards'.
Today; as you deliberate you need to clearly define your role in improving and strengthening the District Health System and the Primary Health care. Ensuring a primary healthcare that delivers to the expectations of the users, will ensure that people do not just clinics and District hospitals to come to your hospital.
In Gauteng, we are one Public Healthcare system which must work in a complimentary manner to ensure that citizens enjoy their constitutionally guaranteed right to healthcare. One way that you can contribute to strengthening primary healthcare is to start outreach programmes. As maternal and child hospital you need to consider this serious so that you are not inundated with high risk deliveries flocking your hospital and resulting in poor outcomes.
I also want to remind you that the MEC tasked all Central hospitals to define their package of services so that they begin to work in a clustered and complimentary manner. This is also important in ensuring that we use our limited resources wisely and for the maximum benefit of citizens in Gauteng, the country and the region.
You also need to prioritise building the capacity of your staff through creating opportunities for training and upward movement. This will strengthen our resolve to improve the quality of care in our facilities.
Colleagues
At the Head Office, we are working tirelessly to ensure that we turn the department around. As part of doing this we have asked CEOs to identify and prioritise basic items that they need to ensure optimal delivery of services. In the current financial we will be buying new equipment directly from manufacturers so that we eliminate middle person costs and ensure that we arrange contracts that will eliminate delays in servicing and repairs.
Part of this project is developing our own skills base to do preventative maintenance. What this means is that; we are now going to enter into contracts with manufacturers who will train our own clinical engineers to do minimal repairs to the machine we buy. In this way, we will no longer have to wait long period for a fuse, for an example, to be replaced on a machine. This will drastically reduce waiting times for patients waiting for examinations such as CAT scans.
Budgets are going to be allocated to strengthen service delivery. It is for this reason that we look forward to your concrete plans so that we are able to immediate allocate budgets. We request that you also priorities in terms of immediate, i.e. first quarter, short term, medium term and long terms.
You must never lose sight of the fact that we are preparing for the wall-to-wall rollout of the National Health Insurance (NHI). So, all the plans you develop today and tomorrow must speak to the NHI.
You would have not done justice if you do not pronounce on the six priorities. We want to hear how you are going to keep the hospital clean as it is, reduce waiting times, ensure the availability of medicines, change the attitude of staff, improve safety and security of patients and staff and ensure that a person who comes to a hospital to deliver does not go home with a hospital acquired TB.
Lastly colleagues
The National Development Plan (NDP) calls on us to write a new story for south Africa. In this new story, it challenges us, our energies must be focused on providing quality healthcare. The NDP challenges us to work together. 'Unless we work together, sacrificing short term gain for long term prosperity, no single section of South Africa society will achieve its objectives', the NDP states.
In the vision statement of the NDP, ours
It is a story of unfolding learning
Even when we flounder, we remain hopeful
in this story we always arrive and depart
Madam CEO and colleagues, every citizen wants to live healthily and age gracefully – to add life to our years as we add years to our lives. As a Government, we must help our people to reach this goal. Besides our maternal and child care services, we must also encourage every citizen to lead healthier lifestyles.
Now, let me say that we've got to give ourselves to the tasks of ensuring the achievement of our government goals until the end. Nothing would be more tragic than to fail in realising a people centred quality public health care system. We've got to see it through.
And as we march steadfast towards this noble goal, everyone needs to be there. Be concerned about your colleague. They may not share the vision now. But either we go up together, or we go down together.
After all, a people centred quality public health care system today is critical for a long and healthy life tomorrow.
I thank you.
