Public Health Care Get Lion's Share of Free State Budget
Nozipho Dlamini
2006-03-17
The Free State Health Department has allocated the lion's share of its budget to Public Health Care (PHC) services.
Health MEC Sakhiwo Belot said more than R1.3 billion would go the PHC services through the district health system.
The services included clinics community health centers district hospitals
community based health services as well as emergency medical services in all the
five districts.
Delivering his budget speech yesterday, Mr Belot said the proposed budget
allocation sought to deliver the mandate to render quality comprehensive health
services.
"The Department of Health has to ensure as well that it contributes to
economic growth skills development and alleviation of poverty to the people of
the Free State," he said.
He said by 2014 the province has to have reduced the number of poor
households, reduced infant mortality for children under the age of five to 65
per 1000 live births and to reduce obstetrical maternal mortality rate to 20 per
100 000 women in the reproductive age group.
The department wants to stabilise the prevalence of HIV and AIDS and reverse
the spread thereof.
"We need to provide free basic Primary Health Care services to all the
people of the Free State province and to provide them with adequate health
infrastructure and contribute to economic growth and development," he said.
Mr Belot noted that the goals would only be realised through collaboration
with social partners.
More than R14 million has been allocated for the construction of a new
government mortuary in Bloemfontein which will be built later this year.
A further R31.476 million is to be used on the Hospital Revatilisation
Programme to upgrade hospitals and R14.2 million has been allocated to the
hospital management and quality improvement programme.
Mr Belot said his department had "achieved a lot" in the past
financial year.
Among the achievements were the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan on
HIV and AIDS, saying approximately 12 000 patients were on the programme. Out of
this number, 4 675 were receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment from the
department and its partners.
"We also welcomed 72 new doctors for community service in January this
year. This will address the shortage of doctors in the province.
"More than 200 000 patients were seen through our mobile clinics that
render essential primary health services especially in rural areas," he
said.
Mr Belot said the department would continue to improve the quality of the
services rendered in the facilities and a Provincial Quality Assurance Strategy
and a Comprehensive Clinical Risk Management Policy would be developed and
implemented from June.
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