News24 | Drinking sprees, bird flu and cost cutting: Health Minister Joe Phaahla worried over public healthcare

Health Minister Joe Phaahla.

• Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the National Treasury's new cost containment measures were a major challenge for the health sector.
• The Treasury proposed the possible cutting of public service jobs, reducing government departments, or hiking VAT to allow for the continuation of the SRD grant. 
• Phaahla and MECs from all nine provinces met on Thursday to discuss the state of public healthcare in the country.

Health Minister Joe Phaahla said that the new cost containment measures announced by the National Treasury would “no doubt” affect the sector's future planning and overall health service delivery efforts.

Phaahla met with health MECs from all nine provinces on Thursday to discuss the state of the public healthcare sector in the country.

The Treasury proposed cutting spending to some departments to save costs. The proposals included cutting government departments. 

He said the cost containment measures were a significant challenge and the officials deliberated how the health sector would navigate them.

News24 previously reported on the possible axing of public service jobs, reducing government departments, or hiking value-added tax (VAT) by two percentage points to allow for the continuation of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant beyond March 2024. 

Phaahla said the Treasury announced a budget reduction in the region of R1.645 billion for the health department.

READ | Treasury wants a 'fiscal anchor' - like a debt ceiling - to contain debt surge

He said R205 million would come from the national department voted funds, R1 billion from HIV and Aids grant, and R440 million from the health facility revitalisation grant.

He said:

During the meeting, MECs highlighted several critical problems in their provinces.

Trauma injuries related to alcohol abuse were a significant issue, especially over weekends.

Phaahla appealed to citizens to stop “drinking sprees” over weekends.

“It is not only something that is not good for our health services, but it overburdens.”

MECs indicated they also felt the brunt of dealing with patients admitted to hospital for mental health issues. Most of the patients admitted were related to substance abuse.

“That is what fills our casualties, and they compete for beds. If you go to our casualties, you find young people confused because of substance abuse.”

ALSO READ | Cosatu, Nehawu reject Treasury's cost-cutting measures

Despite the challenges, Phaahla said that the health sector made “notable great improvement” in meeting financial targets.

“I am pleased to indicate that the National Health Department has received an unqualified audit for the financial year 2022/23.

“Although more work still needs to be done to enhance the provision of quality healthcare to improve the lives of our people, KwaZulu-Natal has received an unqualified audit after more than 10 years of qualifications,” he said.

He said that Mpumalanga, North West, and Gauteng had sustained unqualified audits while the Western Cape had a clean audit.

"As the sector, we are all working towards a clean audit. In my meeting with the Auditor-General, they raised concerns on the three provinces, namely Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, and Free State, more especially the Free State, as they have regressed in the past two financial years."

Phaahla said that the department had been inundated with public enquiries about the risk of avian influenza (bird flu) on people.

"According to our scientists at the NICD [National Institute for Communicable Diseases], poultry products, including commercially available eggs and fresh and frozen chickens, are safe for human consumption.

"Any persons with known or suspected close contact with dead or sick birds from avian flu and who presents with upper or lower respiratory tract symptoms or conjunctivitis should seek medical attention," he said.