Western Cape looks forward to launch of Presidential Health Compact in Sept 2023

The second Presidential Health Summit ended on Friday and on behalf of the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, we look forward to the Presidency launching the 2023 Presidential Health Compact.

In this document, various priorities and interventions will be highlighted to achieve the sustainable interventions needed to prepare the healthcare system for universal health coverage.

Over the course of this past Thursday and Friday, the summit brought together government representatives, academics and health stakeholders from across our country. The engagements were divided into the same 9 Pillars of discussion as in 2018 with the addition of Pillar 10, which focused on pandemic preparedness and responses. While Covid-19 is no longer a pandemic, it is important that our healthcare system uses its learnings to mitigate such a global emergency from occurring again.

During the summit, it was clear that notwithstanding the progress that has been made since 2018, our country’s healthcare system requires urgent attention especially considering how the preexisting structural challenges were worsened by the pandemic. One of the main constraints being faced is the chronic trend of underfunding health, which President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged, and how it increasingly prevents service delivery from meeting the growing clinical demand.

In our province, we remain resilient despite the increased service demand and constrained fiscal position. We continue to be the only health department with clean audits and sound financial controls in addition to high client satisfaction and complaint resolution rates. These are impressive considering that National Treasury has decreased its funding to our department in 2023/24 by more than R1.1 billion.

This is why as the Western Cape in this financial year we are pushing forward to protect our healthcare system and ensure that our services benefit our communities. In 2023/24, we are, to name a few:

• Investing more than R1.3 billion infrastructure.
• Installing inverters at all 122 rural primary healthcare facilities and rooftop solar panels at 15 of our hospitals.
• Establishing a Violence Prevention Unit to further our crime-fighting efforts in the province.
• Expanding transitional care to alleviating pressure in our acute hospital platform.
• Prioritising mental health as well as our service redesign to ensure resilient community-orientated primary care.

Minister Mbombo says: “I thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to work with stakeholders across the country during the Summit. Additionally, I welcome President Ramaphosa’s commitment to bolstering health and care throughout our country. As the Western Cape, we hope to see the adjustment budget later this year reflect the priorities which will inform the 2023 Presidential Health Compact.”

“My gratitude also extends to the representatives of the province and Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness. In the coming months, I know that we all will be proactive and assist in the compilation of the Compact. The National Government can count on our province setting the foundations and standards for universal health coverage.”