Healthy population: bedrock of economic development, President Ramaphosa says

President Ramaphosa accompanied by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize officiated over the ceremony which took place at George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa, Tshwane.

A people-centered health care system that doesn't discriminate against the economic line - that is the promise contained in the Presidential Health Compact signed by the President on Thursday.

"It has as its stated goal: one country, one health system. This means the quality of care must be the same regardless of whether you have money or not, and regardless of where you live," said President Cyril Ramaphosa as he officiated over the signing ceremony.

President Ramaphosa accompanied by Health Minister Zweli Mkhize officiated over the ceremony which took place at George Mukhari Academic Hospital in Ga-Rankuwa, Tshwane.

At the Presidential Health Summit held in 2018, government and key stakeholders agreed on the development of a Presidential Health Summit Compact.

It is a culmination of a collaborative effort by government, civil society, business, private providers, academia and health professionals to develop a plan that includes clear objectives, timelines, indicators, and financial resources to effectively address challenges in the sector.

The compact aims to standardize the quality of public healthcare by addressing nine key issues.

These include staff shortages, labor corruption, infrastructure and stock-outs of medicines, community engagement and supply chain management in the health department.

In a bid to improve the health system countrywide, the President emphasized the need to have integrated systems across the department to ensure an effective healthcare system.

"We will move from working in silos and we will seek to have a much more integrated approach. This new decentralized approach, which focuses on service delivery at a district level, is perfectly aligned with the objectives of this Presidential Health Compact.

"By working in a collaborative way, we will be able to reach our goals faster and implement them efficiently and with the best use of resources," said the President.

While noting that the government has made progress with more than 40% of clinics that serve the population today built after 1994, the President noted that the government is alive to the challenges faced by the sector.

Among the impediments highlighted by the President are poor resource management, under-performance, and inadequate investment.

With the myriad of rocks on the path to quality and people-centered healthcare, the President urged stakeholders to forge ahead and strive towards achieving a health system that works for everyone.

This, he said would see the country fulfill section 27 of the Bill of Rights, which affirms the right of everyone to have access to health care services, including reproductive health care.

With Minister Mkhize and Gauteng Health MEC Bandile Masuku having emphasized the need to look at healthcare as an investment rather than an expense, President Ramaphosa affirmed this position.

"A healthy population is economically productive, is industrious and is the bedrock of any country's economic development," said the President.

The Presidency will have oversight and will provide leadership to the implementing government departments, namely, Health, National Treasury, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Public Service and Administration, Public Works, Home Affairs and Science and Technology.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)