23 Mar 2016

The Minister of Health, Ms Dorcus Makgato says cabinet has approved her ministry’s new organisational structure.

Ms Makgato said this at a press briefing to update the media on issues pertaining to her portfolio, which she said has four focal areas namely, organisational transformation, sustainable quality health care services, paradigm shift from curative to preventative and economic diversification drive.

“We have finished our first and critical step as cabinet has approved our functional structure, which is in line with the paradigm shift from curative to preventative. We have roped in the World Health Organisation (WHO), and we have a consultant who is assisting us in the operationalisation of the structure as approved by cabinet,” she said.

She said implementation was scheduled to start in phases from 1^st April 2016. However, she doubted that it would take effect then, as it would affect payment structure and transfers. She was adamant that the structure would have been finalised then though.

Ms Makgato said the main challenges arising from the change of focus were ensuring a continuum of health care services with the bulk of the actors at primary health care level, and a leaner headquarters focusing on policy development, regulations and oversight.

She said people would be physically moved to become implementers. She also added that districts would be appropriately resourced and granted authority to focus on implementation.

Ms Makgato said plans were underway to open the Teaching Hospital during the 2016/17 financial year.

She also said the National AIDS Coordination Agency (NACA) has been relocated from the Office of the President to her ministry.

She said she was pleased with the relocation as it would make for better coordination and ease of data verification. She said they would expand NACA’s mandate as it has developed competencies that could be applied to other emerging disease challenges.

“We are still going through some consultative processes. When we established NACA, it was a lengthy and intensive consultative process. There are a lot of stakeholders there. We need to carry them along with us. What I am sure about is that we are not killing NACA,” she said.

Ms Makgatho said accountability and supervision continue to be challenges at her ministry. She added that they have decided to hold a leadership summit for the 220 leadership personnel at the ministry.

“We continue to have quarterly ministerial performance improvement committee meetings, support visits to facilities, mystery shopping and internal audits and facility assessments in order to address such challenges,” she said.  Ends