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In this South African Health Review, Sharon Fonn discusses the role of universities and higher learning institutions in generating evidence about health system shortcomings and potential solutions. She emphasizes the importance of transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world. The complex role of the Ministry of Health is explored, along with the Millennium Development Goals, National Health Insurance, and barriers to universal health coverage. Fonn concludes by highlighting the need for professionals to enhance the performance of health systems for equitable and efficient care.
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The bird that flies to the past in order to lead us to the future Sharon Fonn
South African Health Review • Purpose “Through their research and leadership functions, universities and other institutions of higher learning (and research) generate evidence about the shortcomings of the health system, and about potential solutions.” Health professionals for a new century: transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world Julio Frenk et al. The Lancet Nov 2010
South African Health Review • Worth
Complex role of the Ministry of Health • Two jobs • Influencing other Ministries to do the things that make health possible – water, sanitation, road infrastructure, jobs, healthy workplaces, an educated population, plus more • Running health services where things are not routine and obvious - at any time a range of possible services and ways of delivering them are almost equally legitimate
Complex role of the MoH • The system itself is complex: • local, metro and provincial levels of government • the private sector • managing international donors and their agendas • The huge human resource challenge • Our burden of disease
SAHR 2010 Themes • Millennium Development Goals Chapters 1 - 14 • National Health Insurance Chapters 15 - 20 • Health and Related Indicators Chapter 21
Significant contribution of the Indicators chapter • The degree to which these data are accurate • Methods of data collection known and reliable? • Different data from different sources with different values • Smart and nuanced understanding of what we “know” • A very significant source of data
The Chapters on the MDGs • Chapters looking at the MDGs plus • Companion profiles that give us a commentary related to that MDG
MDG Chapters • Maternal health 1 and experiences in Tamil Nadu 2 • Reproductive health 3 • Gender based violence 4 – gender equity • Child health 5 and the problem of data accuracy 6 • Education MDG 7 and creative ways of approaching children’s education 8 • Intersection of hunger and poverty with HIV and TB 9 • Combating HIV and TB 10 & Global Health Initiatives 11 • Environmental factors and global warming 12 and grey water solutions 13 • Policy and legislation 14
As a whole • HIV is a significant barrier to achieving MDGs – treatment alone not sufficient • Creating an enabling environment so that we can deliver quality health services • Integration of services • Data collection, collation and use as a management tool • Health systems approach • Process as important as product • Leadership towards a common vision is essential
World Health Report 2010 • WHA resolution 58.33 2005 “everyone should have access to health services and not be subject to financial hardship in doing so.” • Mechanism is universal coverage
Overriding principle • Risk pooling with everyone included • Richer and healthy cross subsidise the poorer and sicker
WHO Report - 3 Barriers • Availability of resources – no country has immediate access to every technology and every intervention – choices have to be made • Over-reliance on direct payment at the time of illness • Inefficient and inequitable use of resources
“...no single mix of policy options will work well in every setting..... any effective strategy for health financing needs to be home-grown.” Dr Margaret Chan DG of the WHO, World Health Report 2010
Our role • Driving purpose of professionals must be to enhance the performance of health systems for meeting the needs of patients and populations in an equitable and efficient manner
THANK YOU Sharon Fonn Guest Editor: South African Health Review 2010Head of the School of Public Health University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Email: Sharon.Fonn@wits.ac.za Tel: 011 - 717 2543