Public health is in critical condition, and the NHI cannot save it
We cannot afford to wait to arrest the steady decline in the quality of healthcare offered to SA’s poor
The recent revelations by the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) in their 2015-16 inspection report, which was presented in Parliament recently, has raised alarm about the state of the public healthcare system. The results point to a steady decline in the levels of quality in government healthcare facilities, especially when measured against the 2012 baseline facility inspections undertaken on all public healthcare facilities. In the four years since then, only two provinces have succeeded in increasing the average percentage of compliance with norms and standards. The Northern Cape and Mpumalanga each managed to improve their compliance scores by 1%. Both Gauteng and the Western Cape have declined by 14% since 2012, while the Free State has declined by 17% in the same period. Limpopo and North West province declined by 7% and 3% respectively. These are very concerning figures, especially if one considers the amount of emphasis currently placed on improving quality in the ...
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