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THE SMART NEWS SOURCE | Mar 13 2010 12:56 | LAST UPDATED Mar 13 2010 12:56 |
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A group of senior government officials is to assess the state of South Africa's 354 public hospitals, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said on Friday. "The team will look at each and every public health institution's problems, because we believe that our institutions are not doing well," he told hospital chief executives and managers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The government was worried health institutions were spending too much money and failing to deliver. "South Africa is among 10 countries that have failed to bring down infant mortality rates. There are many countries that spend far less than we do but they have achieved this." The meeting was attended by CEOs and managers from the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. The first meeting was held in Johannesburg on Thursday and attended by delegates from the five other provinces. Motsoaledi said some problems facing health institutions would not be sorted out by pumping more money into them. "You don't measure the quality of health by the amount you put [in], but by outcomes. We have a problem of spending too much money and receiving bad outcomes." He expressed concern about hospitals that ran out of medicine and put the lives of patients in danger. Health institutions in the Free State ran out antiretroviral drugs earlier this year. "I am not happy with what happened in the Free State province. Hospitals should notify us a week before they run out medicines."  CONTINUES BELOW Motsoaledi asked representatives from the Free State to raise their hands before he read them the riot act. "You can't just wake up and see that you have run out of medicine. It means that there is something wrong that you are doing. This is a serious thing." One of the measures Motsoaledi said would help improve the state of the country's public hospitals was proper utilisation of clinics. "This country has built 3 000 clinics since 1994 which are under-utilised. The use of clinics will help to avoid overcrowding in hospitals. Not every patient must end up in hospital." Motsoaledi said qualifications for some hospital managers and chief executives were worrying, as they were not suitable for the work they were doing. He said he was tired of hearing horror stories about state hospitals. "We hear stories of patients who get lost, patients who get burnt, the shortage of medicines and dirty hospitals." -- Sapa TOPICS IN THIS ARTICLE
Comments
without being unfair now, what government-run entity do we have that is world class and functioning beautifully? Only SARS. If every other arm of government was run like that, we'd be in good shape. Why is this?
touché douché on November 20, 2009, 4:01 pm
Oh dear, like we didn't know this before..why do they all have to go on a long 5 star luxury round trip around the country to hear what we already know...this idea of a task team..is a joke..they arrive at the hospitals..politics always prevails and the versiob often get distorted...do you have to go to every hospital to determine a common denominator...it's called govt uselessness!!!!effectively the govt should be held to account for deaths resulting from their negligence over the last 10 years...
Craig Smith on November 20, 2009, 5:28 pm
I'm actually impressed with Motsoaledi - one of the few ANC politicians who speaks sense, calls a spade a spade, and doesn't seem into brown-nosing. I think he has the health of the people at heart, and the guts and intelligence to take this on. Go Aaron!
Ella Hume on November 20, 2009, 6:23 pm
PROBLEM 1. LOGIC to actually THINK! 2. Skills, EDUCATION and the will to DO! 3. LACK of desire to THINK! 4. INCOMPETENCE! 5. Gross MISMANAGEMENT and CORRUPTION! SOLUTION If you do not DO your JOB – or If you are not QUALIFIED to do you’re JOB - or If you are too LAZY to do your JOB – then YOU SHOULD BE FIRED – get out of healthcare!!!
Sipho Hu on November 20, 2009, 8:32 pm
OMG, I cannot belive what I have just read. Did Aaron take his truth medication or something. Fc..me. Ella, under normal circumstances I would absolutley agree with you, and hell I really want to but, these guys are career politicians. They lie, they decieve and they say what everyone wants to hear. I mean, considering our track record is this a comment likely from one of our politicians, hell, any politician. (Except of course in an election year)"The government was worried health institutions were spending too much money and failing to deliver." I think Sipho has got it right. And Craig, well, shit, I suspect it will be first class all the way. Maybe even a couple medical supply tenders thrown in for good measure. Sorry, I just have very little faith in the integrity of these assholes.
Apocalypse Now on November 20, 2009, 10:13 pm
Another bunch of imbeciles with their probes - get off your lazy butt and start working
on November 21, 2009, 12:16 pm
I'm not the only normally to be an optimist about politicians, but Motsoaledi seems quite consistent in his unblinkered view of the health system. He has been open and critical from the start, so let's wait and see .....
Ella Hume on November 22, 2009, 2:03 pm
Ella, OK, Good call. I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Let's hope he stays on his medication.
Apocalypse Now on November 22, 2009, 2:06 pm
Apocalypse Now -- your comment reminds me of a Groucho Marx quote: "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies." Let's hope Motsoaledi's prescriptions and diagnoses don't follow the same rule!
Ella Hume on November 22, 2009, 8:03 pm
hahahhaahh Excellent, that is exaclty what we are dealing with.
Apocalypse Now on November 22, 2009, 8:19 pm
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