Political communication

Community participation is widely accepted as a desirable feature of any health system and is considered to be an important aspect of developing and fostering effective governance at various levels of the health system. Good governance is a fundamental tenet of South African health care and the National Health Act No. 61 of 2003, makes provision for formally constituted, broad based governance structures which include community representation at various levels of healthcare delivery. Effective governance of the health system is critical to ensure both access to quality health services and the accountability of the health services to communities.

The consultative meeting was convened after discussions between the Minister of Health and the Director General and Chairpersons of legislative Health Committees in the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP). The meeting was held on 12th and 13th November 1999, at the Days Inn, Cape Town