19 May 2022: Healthcare – Cape Town, South Africa: The healthcare system in South Africa and on the continent is beset with structural challenges and skewed political priorities that hamper the attainment of universal healthcare coverage, therefore a fundamental overhaul of the healthcare system and renewed political will is required to improve citizen’s access to quality healthcare services.
These sentiments kicked off the first day of the 21st Annual Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) Conference currently being held in Cape Town under the theme: Leading change in strengthening our healthcare ecosystem.
Connected virtually, South Africa’s Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla invited the private sector to submit recommended solutions to strengthen the country’s healthcare systems, emphasising the need for a collaborative approach to transform healthcare.
Dr Phaahla conceded that the health system in the country was already weak before the outbreak of COVID and inequality in access to reliable health services is inextricably linked to the economic and social inequality that our country is facing.
The Minister added, “The country’s healthcare system should be restructured to focus more on preventative services rather than the current curative approach.”
“The socio-economic inequality is perpetuated further by our own health services, which are highly heavily commodified. Our two-tiered healthcare system with one being driven by the private sector for a few who can afford it and the other by the public sector being provided for the majority of the population does not bode well for the future prospects of the country. This system is unsustainable and if we are going to talk about a change in strengthening the health system, we cannot avoid talking about the need to accelerate the creation of a more equitable health system.”
He acknowledged that the passing of the NHI Bill will not in itself be a silver bullet in the transformation of our health system, however, will lay a good foundation for the country to timely start to fundamentally transform our health system towards equity.
Speaking about the relationship between politics and healthcare, Professor Patrick Lumumba, former Director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission, said, “Politics is at the very heart of the provision of sound healthcare systems.”
He challenged some of the perceptions around the delivery of national healthcare insurance across Africa, asking governments and the private sector to closely examine suitable healthcare solutions that will consider the continent’s current different types of conflicts.
He highlighted that considerations should be made in the best interest of the continent’s populations when making the decision on an approach to be taken for the continent’s healthcare needs, bearing in mind what is affordable to the different countries across the continent, especially given that the continent’s entire GDP is less than that of Italy, which has just under 60 million people.
“The continent is currently under different types of conflict at various intensities, and these conflicts are in turn undermining the provision of healthcare,” said Prof Lumumba.
He noted that in Africa, there is a lack of political will to spend more on healthcare despite the commitments made at Abuja, Nigeria, in 2001 to invest a minimum of 15% of their national budget in healthcare.
“Politicians are rich in making promises. The evidence we have in different countries is that universal health care as promised by politicians and as desired by the population is not easily achievable,” he said.
He cautioned against the temptation to compare the healthcare system in Africa with that of developed countries, citing a lower tax base and GDP in Africa to fund a healthcare system that services a substantially larger population.
“The entire GDP of Africa is slightly over two trillion US dollars, which is smaller than the GDP of Spain, which has a population of no more than 50 million people, it is critical that the private and public sectors; and politicians work together to come up with a system that is going to be beneficial to the majority of Africa’s people,” said Professor Lumumba.
He said the envisaged economic revival of Africa cannot be sustained if the continent’s healthcare needs are not adequately addressed.
“If the continent of Africa is to enjoy the perceived economic growth that is expected, then the population must be healthy. Healthcare is about creating healthcare systems that are also able to retain the skills that are required for Africa’s emerging or growing economies. There is also a clear need for collaboration in the delivery of health services,” said Lumumba.
Dr Millicent Hlatshwayo Chairperson of the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) reiterated the need for the private healthcare sector to play a meaningful role towards shaping the proposed healthcare funding model to ensure its sustainability.
She acknowledged that the healthcare sector is faced with several systemic challenges, and this is reflected in our international rankings; where South Africa ranks 49th out of 89 countries on the 2022 Global Healthcare Index. Though South Africa is the highest-ranked African country in this index, it has been rated below its peers in BRICS such as China and India, which are rated 40th and 44th respectively.
Dr Hlatshwayo said, “Proposed reforms such as the implementation of the NHI can help to facilitate better cooperation between the public and private sectors. We cannot afford to be passive observers in these deliberations, because our failure to act on these opportunities will be an indictment on the industry.”
Dr Hlatshwayo said from its inception, GEMS has been aligned with the transformation of the healthcare industry and supportive of the principles of universal health coverage.
She said universal health coverage can only be achieved if we get the basics in place, namely qualified staff, equipment and technology, infrastructure and working systems.
