SA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
SA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Positive Future Prognosis After Pandemic Turmoil
In an environment full of challenges, against a backdrop of negativity, certainty and comfort have been difficult to come by, but they should be at the heart of a national healthcare system. South Africa’s Department of Health is doing all it can to rebound and revitalise following the Covid-19 pandemic and a range of other challenges. An ongoing successful vaccination programme combined with a focus on tech from a dedicated workforce is helping in the recovery.
PRODUCTION: James Davey
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: HEALTHCARE
//Time have never been tougher for the National Department of Health. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, and re-emergence of the economy after some of the world’s strictest lockdowns, there is a hangover, with the virus still in circulation (South Africa faced the largest share of infections on the continent), vaccine issues, and a wave of new challenges hitting the front lines each month.
Against the backdrop of a stretched budget as the Department tries to push its rollout of the National Health Insurance, loadshedding plaguing all industries, and with economic conditions weak, when the country needs stability from somewhere, it should come from healthcare. South Africa’s Department of Health is
responsible for a plethora of health and medical care issues. Its reach covers all provinces and several public entities, statutory bodies, and various institutions. Represented in Government by Minister Joe Phaahla, the Department’s mission is ‘To improve health status through the prevention of illnesses and the promotion of healthy lifestyles and to consistently improve the healthcare delivery system by focusing on access, equity, efficiency, quality and sustainability’.
Foster Mohale, Spokesperson for the Department, tells Enterprise Africa more about driving progress through difficult conditions which are not conducive for growth and expansion.
“There is not enough money in the public health system to address all the needs while catching up with the
services and infrastructure backlogs (the collective public sector budget has been reduced year-on-year),” he begins.
“Staffing remains a challenge (and there are many facets to this) but without any increase in funds allocated for Conditions of Employment (COE), and no allowance for increasing posts in the sector, this is likely to be a continued challenge.
“The cost of private health care has rocketed and as a result many who insure themselves are downgrading packages of cover and increasing their vulnerability. This is a concern as those who cannot afford the Out-of-Pocket payments will move to the public sector which is already stretched.
“All health departments have heightened attention to pandemic preparedness and watch the effects
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of climate change. This can add a burden to budgets,” he details.
However, there are a number of initiatives underway to bolster and improve the industry and the service provision, and the Department is keen on catching up with priorities that were pushed out during 2020, rebuilding capacity in the system, and remaining prepared for any future shocks.
“As always there are many programmatic goals. The key goals are stated in the Annual Performance Plan which will be tabled in
Parliament once it has been signed off. All of the goals have at least three-year targets,” says Mohale.
“This year, it is expected that the NHI Bill will be passed in Parliament so there is an increased effort to build the technical capacity to manage the Fund.
“There is renewed effort to improve hospital management in the public sector and capital works is focussing on sustainable electricity in the health facilities.
“Projects that lost impetus through Covid are being revived, such
as the Mine Worker Compensation, and pandemic preparedness is still centre-stage so revival of the National Public Health Institutes of South Africa (NAPHISA) is receiving attention,” he adds, describing just a few high-level strategies that are being driven right now.
VACCINATION PARTNERSHIP
Importantly, the vaccine rollout, in partnership with some of the world’s most important healthcare companies such as Abbott, was key in halting the pandemic and allowing for some return to normalcy. A public-private partnership was key here as the government embraced involvement from companies with global expertise.
“The Covid-19 vaccination programme was unique in that it was a mass campaign executed very
SA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH www.enterprise-africa.net / 5
// THE COST OF PRIVATE HEALTH CARE HAS ROCKETED AND AS A RESULT MANY WHO INSURE THEMSELVES ARE DOWNGRADING PACKAGES OF COVER AND INCREASING THEIR VULNERABILITY //Foster Mohale, Spokesperson
INDUSTRY FOCUS: HEALTHCARE
quickly across public and private sectors. There was a single digital record system – the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS). This has been extremely positive and created capacity for additional improvements in data management going forward,” explains Mohale.
Everyone over the age of 12 can enrol, and the system allowed for digital verification of vaccination status. This progress remains vital as the fight against Covid is far from over – the virus is still a threat to many different groups of people, especially
in developing countries. And catch up to relieve backlogs on health systems remains a serious concern. All of this while South Africa faces a fresh outbreak of measles and cholera. For businesses and employees, ongoing care and knowledge around vaccination is vital, not just from a Covid-19 perspective, but a wider health concern.
“The routine vaccinations took a bit of a knock, so we are now experiencing a measles outbreak. We are increasing the responses to all vaccinations but with immediate focus on Covid and Measles,” says Mohale. “The Department
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has reviewed the organisational support for vaccines and vaccination programmes and is moving them all to one centre of management. It is critical to keep vaccination coverage high so that there is sufficient immunity in the risk pool. Catch-ups are difficult and distract from other programmes so should be avoided.”
TIRELESS PATIENT CARE
Following the pandemic, hard work has been required to normalise the industry while remaining cautious and well-prepared for any further
In November 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer, in which 194 countries committed in solidarity to this preventable cause.
The program highlighted 3 key pillars to eliminate cervical cancer:
1. Vaccinations 2. Screening 3. Treatment
To meet the following targets by 2030, committed countries on the path toward elimination will need to achieve the following:
90% of girls fully vaccinated with the HPV vaccine by age 15
70% of women screened using a high-performance test by age 35 and again by age 45
90% of women with pre-cancer treated and 90% of women with invasive cancer managed
RECOGNISING HPV DNA TESTING AND STRENGTHENING THE LINK BETWEEN TESTING AND TREATMENT
Access to HPV DNA testing onsite and at the point of care is crucial to eliminating cervical cancer in South Africa. WHO recommends HPV DNA testing as the first-choice screening method for cervical cancer prevention. 1 HPV DNA testing is the most effective screening method for all women living with human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV).2, 3 HPV DNA testing does not detect cancer; it detects high-risk HPV genotypes and enables cervical cancer risk stratification. Therefore, greater data-led advocacy work in co-ordination with The National Department of Health is crucial to achieving nationwide access to HPV DNA testing.
REFERENCES:
1. WHO, “WHO recommends DNA testing as a first-choice screening method for cervical cancer prevention,” WHO, 11 September09 2021 [Online] Available: https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/noncommunicable-diseases/cancer/news/news/2021/9/who-recommends-dna-testing-as-a-first-choice-screeningmethod-for-cervical-cancer-prevention [Accessed 27 February 2022]
2. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, “HPV-DNA testing most effective approach to detect cervical precancer among women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa,” London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 5 March 2021 [Online] Available: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2021/hpvdna-testing-most-effective-approach-detect-cervical-precancer-among-women [Accessed February 2022]
3. A.Marc, M.Simon, E.Peeters, and et.al., “2020 list of human papillomavirus assays suitable for primary cervical cancer screening,” Clinical Microbiology and Infection, vol.27, no.8, pp.1083–1095, 2021
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“The public health programmes did experience setbacks but there is evidence of recovery now that resources are redirected to the programmes,” says Mohale. “All programmes and the service delivery components in the health departments have ‘catch-up’ plans which are being implemented.
“Digital health capacity received a major step up during Covid and will enjoy more attention in 2023. There are low-hanging fruit from the
connectivity (linked to load-shedding).”
He adds that not all technology adds significant value, and each project much be reviewed and examined in detail to ensure its contribution.
“We have started to implement Health Technology Assessments so that there can be evidence-based decision-making,” Mohale confirms.
With this is mind, and considering the asset base boasted by the system, the South Africa Department of Health
work tirelessly to look after patients and who rise to every occasion which presents. This against an increasingly difficult environment where civil society has lost trust in leadership and the establishment,” concludes Mohale.
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M O L E C U L A R DI A G N O S T I C S S U P P O R T I N G T H E G L O B A L S T R A T E G Y T O A C C E L E R A T E T H E E LI M I N A T I O N O F C E R V I C A L C AN C E R A L I N I T Y M H I G H R I S K H P V O N E A S S AY, F O UR RE S U LT S !
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// WE ARE EXTREMELY PROUD OF THE MAJORITY OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS WHO WORK TIRELESSLY TO LOOK AFTER PATIENTS AND WHO RISE TO EVERY OCCASION WHICH PRESENTS //
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