Health Minister Joe Phaahla last week said he was negotiating with private hospitals to take in detainees needing pretrial psychiatric assessments because public hospitals aren’t coping.
In his latest Q&A feature in the Sunday Times, Chris Barron asked whether there would be private sector involvement in other areas where public hospitals are not coping.
“Definitely. We did this at the height of the pandemic. The only thing we have not been able to hammer out is the cost.”
Given the state of maternity wards at public hospitals, Barron questioned whether Phaahla saw scope for outsourcing that function to the private sector as well, considering that, for example, at Kuruman District Hospital maternity ward in the Northern Cape, only three midwives were looking after 53 patients.
“I wouldn’t regard it as outsourcing, but I would look at a possible collaboration where if we don’t have capacity we could transfer patients into a private facility, provided the costs are manageable.”
Addressing perceptions that unfilled staff vacancies at public hospitals were a national crisis, Phaahla conceded this was a major challenge. And on concerns that budgetary constraints are worsened by mismanagement, inadequate administrative systems and corruption, he said multiple factors played a role.
“Even when there’s good leadership you will not get optimal outcomes,” he added.
Asked why CEOs who are not fit for purpose were not being held to account, Phaahla said: “We’re working with our MECs. If you look at Rahima Moosa, that CEO has been removed …As the ombud’s report states she was not suitable for that position from the start so I don’t know why she was appointed.”
Sunday Times PressReader article – Q&A with Chris Barron: Joe Phaahla (Open access)
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