Public health near collapse

The Herald online covered an expose on the state of the health system in the Nelson Mandela Bay on 1^st March 2011. Many things were uncovered, leaving readers shocked as to what the public healthcare of Port Elizabeth is really about.

According to the Mission Statement of public health in Nelson Mandela Bay under the Executive Director, Dr Elizabeth Mamisa Chabula-Nxiweni, it states, “The Public Health Directorate is committed, through a process of community involvement, to competitive Health and Environmental services through developmental programs to improve the quality of life of people within the NMB by maintaining a healthy and attractive environment.” This does not seem to be the case, reason being that when one compares public hospitals to private hospitals, there is an immeasurable difference.

A clear example is that the Mission Statement of Greenacres Hospital states, “Greenacres Hospital aims to surpass international standards in health care through leadership and exceptional, professional services and advanced technology. We are committed to providing safe, quality healthcare in an efficient and compassionate environment, to offer services needed by our community”

Both statements promise good healthcare to patients but there seems to be a lack somewhere. It is claimed that the total public healthcare budget is spent servicing 80 % of the population, whereas the total private healthcare sector budget is spent servicing the remaining 20 %.  These figures are based on the 7 478 040 medical scheme beneficiaries, as a proportion of the 48 687 323 South African population.

In the article extracted from The Herald it states, “Mafika’s son and neighbours called for the ambulance, but the driver refused to drive into the settlement because it was going to be difficult for them to come to our place.”

According to Adele Kennedy, Marketing Manager of Netcare Greenacres Hospital, she says emergency services of private hospitals are quicker than those of public hospitals. “The public sector provides a service to more patients than the private sector. With this in mind, their lack of sufficient vehicles and shortage of paramedics makes it difficult for them to respond to all the patients’ needs in the shortest of time.” she said.

According to a resident of Motherwell, Nyameka Maloni, “The ambulance doesn’t come to informal settlements because they are scared that the residents might throw the vehicle with stones and this area is not safe for cars.” she said.