South Africa: Reimagining Health in the Eastern Cape - a Dysfunctional Public Health System Is Not Inevitable

20 November 2020
opinion

Not so long ago, in mid 2017, I was part of a team evaluating a system-wide initiative in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan (NMBM) health district to improve the quality and accountability of its primary health care services and district hospitals. Our independent assessment was overwhelmingly positive. We documented an integrated system of problem analysis and response in frontline health services, engaging providers and their immediate supervisors in a manner that was both generative and meaningful to them.

These successes occurred under the stewardship of an experienced health district manager in the metro, whose achievements included the successful amalgamation of previously separate local and provincial primary health care services. This required complex transfers of assets and staff across the two spheres of government, a task yet to be achieved in other metros.

...

AllAfrica publishes around 400 reports a day from more than 100 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.