Health Dept introduces ‘game-changer’

THE Department of Health plans to introduce a phased development of electronic medical records for primary health services with a minimum focus on HIV and TB patients.

Deputy director-general for primary health Jeanette Hunter said that the electronic medical record will enable the department to know how each person has been diagnosed, what treatment they get, whether they come for treatment and if the treatment was effective.

“It is in a process that is being developed. It is to be a game-changer for health in terms of stepping up clinical quality and how well the health system is doing,” she said.

Deputy director-general for NHI Nicholas Crisp said the testing for the electronic medical records has been completed.

“The focus is on the TB and HIV portions of that record. By November there will be wider implementation,” Crisp said.

The electronic medical records initiative was revealed when Hunter made a presentation on the department’s R62.2 billion budget for 202425 before the National Council of Provinces’ select committee on social services on Friday.

A breakdown of the budget showed that administration is allocated R759m, NHI R1.3 billion, communicable and non-communicable diseases R25.3 billion, primary health care R3.3 billion, health system governance and human resource R7.5 billion, compensation of employees R694m, goods and services R1.7bn, transfers to provinces and entities R58 billion and capital projects R1.4 billion.

Outlining some of the other departmental plans, Hunter said they would strive to maintain the qualified audit and bring the number of invoices paid after 30 days to zero.

She also said they were targeting 3.3 million HIV-Aids patients to be enrolled on different models of care this year and 2200 facilities to provide youth-friendly services.

A total of 16.7m clients would be screened for diabetes and 10.1m for hypertension.

According to Hunter, the department planned to increase the number of hospitals that were compliant with food services.

“We have in the past received a number of complaints about the quality of food at our state hospitals. We have been working on this for the past three years to turn the situation around to ensure when South Africans are hospitalised they receive nutritious food.

“We will do inspections in 300 hospitals and this is 70 more to ensure food complies with standards.”

There were 42 primary health care facilities and 50 hospitals to be constructed or revitalised.

A total of 400 public health facilities will be maintained, repaired and/ or refurbished.

“We are advocating and driving a strong maintenance programme. There is a problem building new facilities and not doing maintenance,” Hunter said.

But, EFF MP Naledi Chirwa said there was a reduction in the departmental targets for this year compared to the outcomes of last year.

“It is an ongoing trend that the department keeps reducing the targets. There is no explanation. You reached certain outcomes but reduced the targets of the incoming year,” she said.

Chirwa highlighted the reduced number of health promotion messages on social media that have been reduced from 399 to 200.

Crisp said although the NHI Act was recently enacted, the NHI was not implemented because the new law was not in operation yet.

“We will in this budget engage which activities of NHI funding may be brought into effect in the next financial year. All the matters in this budget have to do with health systems strengthening and preparing the capacity of the national Department of Health to support the implementation of NHI,” Crisp said.

He also said the budget on infrastructure was ensuring facilities were improved and able to get their quality up to standards required to be accredited to the NHI Fund.