By Neelam Rahim

Researchers have warned that SA’s health system requires an urgent overhaul, citing the slow progress in the past decade. The new report was released by Section27 and Concentric Alliance during a webinar yesterday.

Radio Islam discusses with Section27’s Sasha Stevenson the report titled Health Reform: Perspectives and Proposals. 

Sasha said the plan speaks to different stakeholders across the health system. Very aware that there has been a long debate on health reform, particularly health insurance. Most times, people speak in public, needing to get across their version of the company, party or organisation. Wondering whether what people expressed may differ as opposed to talking to them confidentially.

 “We spoke to spoke to thirty three people from across the health system. Public, private, regulators, several society trade unions as well as academia. We asked them their thoughts on what needed to happen to improve the health care system and how they though that it could happen. Interestingly there was a much larger degree of agreement and consensus on a number of key principals,” says Sasha.

Sasha says, “Everybody recognised and voiced that there was a need for the health systems reform in South Africa and that reform was to ensure the realisation of the right of excess of health care services which is important. In South Africa, we tend to take those principles for granted. Everyone sees the possibility of working together more across different sectors. There were also key types of efforts that could be implemented urgently to improve access to health care services in the country.”

In the past, health reform has been characterised by mistrust and disagreements.

“That was one of the key issues identified by many participants that we have a lack of trust across stakeholders, and that’s a barrier for reform. What we found heightening is despite that, there is a willingness to work together, and there are also some interventions that could be made so we could start building in the right direction and doing that creates the trust that has been lost. Foster that trust, give the proof of concept for how health care systems change can happen and therefore kind of opens up the possibility of further health systems change, says Sasha.”

For more on this, listen to Radio Islam’s podcast below.