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Minister introduces draft Health Charter
Tumelo Modisane
2005-07-15

Government has introduced a draft Health Charter aimed at improving access, equity and quality in healthcare and levels of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) in the country.

Speaking at the presentation, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said, We need to ensure that our health system reflects the diversity of our society and meets the various health care needs of the total population of South Africa. A task team comprising representatives from both the public and private health sectors compiled the draft document. The Minister said currently, health outcomes and life expectancy for the poor and medium income groups were worse than those of high-income groups due to inequity in health services. Due to our sad history, access to and distribution of health care and ownership of health establishments remains grossly inequitable.

The vast majority of South Africans were disadvantaged based on their race, gender and economic status. For this reason, the Minister hoped that the Charter would be implemented to significantly rectify the wrongs of the past. Dr Tshabalala-Msimang said the Charter requires us to achieve the most effective, economic and efficient utilization of all resources within the health sector so as to adequately address the health needs of the people in South Africa. Latest figures indicate that the state spends R33.2-billion on health care for 38 million people while the private sector spends some R43-billion servicing seven million people. In addition, between 15 and 20 percent of the population has a high degree of access to health services. On the other hand, a large majority - between 75 and 80 percent of the population - has either limited or no access at all access to health services. Dr Tshabalala-Msimang said categorically, We cannot remain silent about this issue.

She also highlighted that in the private sector membership of medical aid schemes had become increasingly unaffordable resulting in a widening gap between the high-income and the middle-income groups in terms of equitable access to health care. Another area of major increase in expenditure by medical schemes is non-health items such as scheme administration fees (which was at R4.5-billion in 2003), managed care initiatives (at R1.1-billion) and brokers fees (which increased by 64 percent from R354-million in 2002 to R581-million in 2003). The draft health charter also emphasizes another kind of equity - that of service provision, ownership and control. It requires the development of a Human Capital Programme that plans for and meets the human resource requirements of the country over the next 15 years. We have put together programmes that result in the broader representation of historically disadvantaged groups including women and people with disabilities at the workplace, said the Minister.

The proposed targets are that workplaces should be 60 percent black across the value chain and should comprise 50 percent women by the year 2010. The aim is to increase these figures to 70 percent black and 60 percent women by 2014. With regard to businesses or firms in the healthcare sector, the document proposes that there be 26 percent ownership and or control by black people, and this process should start immediately. By 2010, each business in the healthcare sector should at least be 35 percent owned and or controlled by black people while equity ownership by black people should increase to 51 percent by 2014. The terms of the draft Charter were warmly received by health sector stakeholders. However they have requested that some technical adjustments be made. These and other submissions are to be made to the National Department of Health by 15 August. Dr Tshabalala-Msimang expects to present the document to Cabinet by the end of August or beginning of September. 

Link: http://www.hst.org.za/publications/676

(Source: AllAfrica, July 11, 2005)

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