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DENOSA’s Budget expectations: Fair allocation of resources to health as part of investment and preparation for NHI
Media statement
Tuesday, 19 February 2019
As the Finance Minister, Tito Mboweni, will deliver his maiden Budget Speech in Parliament tomorrow, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) expects that he announces reasonable allocation of funds to deal with the backlog of shortage of health workers as well as renovation of decaying infrastructure of many healthcare facilities as part of government’s commitment to investing in health so that majority citizens could be healthy and contribute to the very economic recovery of the country.
These two have become non-negotiables if the country’s public healthcare system is to be resilient enough, and these will contribute greatly to the bigger vision of government of laying the ground for an effective National Health Insurance (NHI).
The healthcare system in South Africa is so overstretched that the quality that it has been known for providing over the years is getting compromised due to human resource shortages, and shortages of equipment and medication as well as insufficient support of health workers in our facilities.
DENOSA would like to reiterate that, while it is a noble idea, the NHI is not going to be effective in the country if the underlying challenges as mentioned above are not addressed one by one. Key to the effectiveness of NHI is the strengthening of primary healthcare; and that means hiring enough nurses in our clinics and improving the infrastructure overall.
As DENOSA, we understand that the Minister faces a bigger challenge of balancing the books of the country in a period marred by fewer foreign direct investments and a shrinking tax revenue pool, but the world has also awoken to the hard reality that health is actually the source of potential economic growth of every nation. At least the President has begun to understand this basic; we therefore hope that the minister will not be left behind.
DENOSA also hopes that the Minister will do the most honourable thing and reduce the VAT back to 14% at least so that the majority citizens could be given a breather – groceries have become fewer for many families, and that also affects the health of many citizens.
End
Issued by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA)
For more information, contact:
Cassim Lekhoathi, Acting General Secretary
Mobile: 082 328 9671
Or
Simon Hlungwani, DENOSA President
Mobile: 082 328 9635
Website: www.denosa.org.za
Facebook: DENOSA National Page
Twitter: @DENOSAORG
