Transformation of the Health System in South Africa (4)
-------------------------------------------------------
Dear friends and colleagues,
I want to support and add to the recent comments made on IHN-L by
Hugo Van Damme and Edward (Ted) Green regarding the "White paper for
the Transformation of The Health System of South Africa".
I recently read the documents on the "Restructuring the National
Health System for Universal Primary Health Care" for the Republic of
South Africa and I could find no mention that the indigenous health
providers have any role to play in the system.
For example, the plan proposes specific primary health care services
to be provided at the District level such as health promotion and
education, maternal and child health, nutrition, mental health, con-
trol of communicable diseases and environmental health. And, it goes
on to say, that community participation and inter-sectoral collabora-
tion with other government and non-government sectors should be in-
volved in health promotion and the provision of these services.
I would like to point out that these primary health services are al-
ready being provided in a few places by traditional health practitio-
ners in Africa and other countries through special projects and
grants. And we have a growing body of evidence from studies of these
projects that the health services provided are effective, low cost,
culturally appropriate and widely accepted by the community members.
I therefore find it to be a travesty that a "reform" government of
South Africa that is responsible for providing health care to large
indigenous populations with serious health problems flagrantly ig-
nores the potential value of its indigenous health providers.
It appears to me that the biomedical system has taken complete con-
trol and turned their backs on inputs from the indigenous communities
and the traditional health practitioners that serve them.
Perhaps the South Africa authorities should take a look at recent
trends in health care in the United States and some other industrial
nations where even physicians are beginning to realise that hi-tech
bio-medicine may not be the only answer to many of our health prob-
lems. For example, hospitals and health insurance plans in the USA
are beginning to include services for acupuncture, chiropractic, mas-
sage and nutrition therapy, exercise, herbal remedies, and so forth.
I do believe that the most effective influences to change or trans-
form the health system of South Africa will not come from the outside
but must come from within the country. What might happen, for exam-
ple, if the many thousands of traditional healers in SA could mobi-
lise themselves and local community leaders to contact and educate
their local government representatives about the benefits of collabo-
ration between the traditional and modern health workers and how this
might improve the health services available to community members?
This is a challenge for traditional healers and communities to organ-
ise and make their wishes known. I think such actions would lead to
real health reform.
What do others think?
Wilbur Hoff, Dr.PH
mailto:Wilburhoff@aol.com
--
Send mail for the `AFRO-NETS' conference to `afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.
Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to: `owner-afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.