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South Africa has done extremely well in fighting the rise of Covid-19 and if South Africans continue to be vigilant and adhere to non-pharmaceutical interventions, the country may mitigate a potentially devastating second wave, says Health Minister Dr. Zweli Mkhize.
In a media address on Tuesday (October 6), Mkhize said that it is now important for the country to turn its attention to other programs, the most important of which is the implementation of the National Health Insurance.
“The pandemic brought home the stark reality of the shortcomings of our current system. In fact, it crystallized the importance of the NHI principles and the fact that we have actually delayed the implementation of a system that is absolutely crucial to allow us to respond quickly, ”he said.
Mkhize said the pandemic made the government and private sectors mobilize immediately to pool resources and consolidate into “an army, a health system with a coherent response.”
“This is the very basis of the NHI. We realized that we did not have the luxury of time to ruminate and question the merits of NHI, ”he said.
“We truly treat this problem like a South African health system. Now we can only learn from this fundamental lesson: that only through the pooling of resources and through multisectoral collaboration can we combat any attack on our national health status. “
“Now we need to turn our attention to other programs, and the most important is the implementation of the National Health Insurance.”
– Department of Health: COVID-19 (@ COVID_19_ZA) October 6, 2020
A legacy
in a statement Last week, Mkhize said the government plans to create a “legacy” for the health system from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The legacy will find expression in the National Health Insurance. As a legacy, we have to use this pandemic to ensure that implementation-level environmental health systems are strengthened for the future.
“National norms and standards for environmental health provide an opportunity to achieve this,” he said. Mkhize said that it is vital that employers ensure compliance with norms and standards in the provision of environmental health services.
“An adequate number of trained professionals must be employed and continually developed to deal with pandemics, emerging and re-emerging diseases, and current environmental challenges that may have potential negative impacts on human health.”
Mkhize has previously said that before the pandemic hit, the government held many consultations in which it received overwhelming support for the NHI.
“It was about building the resilience of the healthcare sector to ensure the consistent delivery of quality healthcare to our people. At that stage, we all agreed that any obstacles that hinder collaboration between all sectors should be removed as we move towards universal health coverage ”.
The health minister said the government now plans to resume its work at the NHI.
“We are all eager to get used to Covid-19 so that we can pick up where we left off and accelerate our path towards implementing National Health Insurance.
“I am convinced that we will not only prevail over Covid-19, implement the NHI and achieve Universal Health Coverage in our lives, but that we will have sewn a new fabric for society, a fabric that does not compromise the alleviation of poverty, hunger , securing jobs and income and, in general, protecting the promise of a better life for all ”.
Corruption and waste
While the government praises its response to Covid-19 and highlights its successes, the shortcomings cannot be ignored.
In particular, how billions of rand were looted through government contracts delivered in the framework of an uncontrolled “emergency acquisition”, the allegations of which are still being investigated by the Special Investigations Unit.
In September, Auditor General (AG), Kimi Makwetu, published a report on the billion rand Covid-19 aid package and how it was spent by various government departments.
After the coronavirus outbreak in South Africa, the government announced a R500 billion package for the health response and economic distress caused by the drastic measures that had to be taken to contain the spread of the virus.
The aid package has been financed by changing the priorities of the 2020-21 budgets and obtaining loans.
At the request of President Ramaphosa, Makwetu’s office conducted a real-time audit of 16 of the key Covid-19 initiatives introduced by the government, and managed R147.4 billion of the funds available for these initiatives.
The report noted that “pre-existing deficiencies” in the government’s supply chain processes, such as corruption, were “amplified,” especially with regard to healthcare.
“Based on what has been audited to date, there are clear signs of overpricing, unfair processes, potential fraud, and supply chain management legislation being avoided.
“Additionally, delays in delivery of personal protective equipment and quality concerns could have been avoided through better planning and vendor management.”
Other issues that have been highlighted include the construction of health facilities to deal with Covid-19 in the country, which are still under construction, and now it’s useless since the peak of the infection has passed.
Read: Ramaphosa outlines ANC’s plan for South Africa
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