President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Presidential Health Compact on Thursday, which will make the way for a new health care system in South Africa that doesn’t discriminate against whether a person is rich or poor.
“It has as its stated goal: one country, one health system. This means quality of care must be the same regardless of whether you have money or not, and regardless of where you live,” said Ramaphosa at a signing ceremony at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Garankuwa, Tshwane.
The President pointed out: “It is fitting that we are signing this historic accord here at the Dr George Mukhari Hospital, where a groundbreaking and difficult operation to separate conjoined twins was performed in 2017…”
Accompanied by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, Ramaphosa said the compact aims to standardise the quality of public healthcare by addressing nine key issues – including staff shortages, labour corruption, infrastructure and stock-outs of medicines, community engagement and supply chain management in the health department.
To ensure the healthcare system is effective he said “we will move from working in silos and we will seek to have a much more integrated approach”.
He said the post-Apartheid government has made progress with more than 40% of clinics that serve the population today built after 1994.
Ramaphosa confirmed Minister Mkhize’s emphasis on the need to regard healthcare as an investment rather than an expense.
“A healthy population is economically productive, is industrious and is the bedrock of any country’s economic development,” said the President. – SAnews.gov.za