Week 11 Reflection
This week we expanded more on leadership and governance. In week 10 it was established that the different levels of government have roles and each has responsibilities in health governance. The work this week narrowed down the specific roles that National, Provincial and Local government play.
Essentially, the National Department of Health is in charge of: developing health policies and planning the direction that the health service should take, monitoring health outcomes, and evaluating national health programs. Maintaining a high standard of healthcare services. The goal of the Office of Health Standard Compliance is to guarantee the quality of health services. Lastly, it is in charge of enacting legislation that conforms to the plan of the government.
At the national level, some services are handled: The National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS) provide laboratory assistance to the public sector. South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Disease (NICD) is a national public health institute that provides reference microbiology, virology, epidemiology, surveillance, and public health research to support the government's response to communicable disease threats.
The following are the duties of provincial health departments: utilizing the District Health System to provide health services. Assisting Health Districts in providing all aspects of health care, following the National Department of Health's instructions for putting health plans and policies into action. Using the District Health Information System to gather data on health services and priority programs, Managing and Financing Human Resources for Health (the Health Workforce). Submitting a report on service delivery goals to the National Department of Health. Ensuring that health services are in line with provincial priorities.
The delivery of municipal services like water and sanitation is primarily the responsibility of the local government, which provides assistance in the provision of certain health services through the Municipal Departments of Health.
I share the same sentiment as last week, week 10, as a future health professional, learning about the levels of government and who is in charge of what has helped me realize that improving the quality of healthcare services for communities as a whole would take a long time for the government. I will be more patient with the government as they implement solutions to improve the South African health system.
References:
Civics Academy SA (2018). What is Local Government?. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocuJXY-CNRg (Accessed 31 October 2022)
Lecture Notes https://ulwazi.wits.ac.za/courses/31784/pages/session-1-unpacking-levels-of-governance-in-health?module_item_id=392193
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