South Africa

Although South Africa’s health system has undergone many positive changes in the last 25 years, social inequalities in health are widening across social groups and races. 50 million South Africans access the under-funded public health system while just over 8 million have access to well-resourced private care that is steeped in corruption.

On 29-30 August 2018, the PSI Southern African Sub-regional Office hosted a Conference entitled “Towards a People’s National Health Insurance”. The conference was an initiative of PSI Young Workers, and brought together approximately 27 trade unions, civil society organisations and progressive academics to debate and wrestle with the National Health Insurance (NHI).

Speaking at a meeting of the National Educational Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) last week, the South African Health Minister, Mr Aaron Motsoaledi said the country’s health system is overburdened by foreigners. This is a dangerous playing up of the xenophobic card, to deflect attention from the major challenges facing public healthcare delivery: inadequate funding; poor governance, and sharp social inequality which reinforces health inequity.

After a week of strike action, the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW), a PSI affiliate, and Dis-Chem Pharmacies have reached a settlement agreement regarding the granting of organisational rights to the Union.

Health inequity in South Africa is rising to crisis proportions. The 20th edition of the South African Health Review which was recently released presents a dire picture of the future, if the problems of inadequate funding, acute staff shortages and policy/legislative gaps are not addressed immediately, with the seriousness this deserves.

The PSI South African Young Workers Committee has released a statement about the recent disturbing developments of disappearances, kidnappings, killings and general aggression against young women in South Africa. We must all work together to break the silence and mobilise against gender-based violence and the violation of women’s rights in our workplaces and societies.

PSI affiliates launched the global Human Right to Health campaign in Lomé, Togo, on 7-8 February and Johannesburg, South Africa, on 3 March. The Francophone Africa launch in Lomé held a seminar on PPPs and the Right to Health, while at the Southern Africa sub-region launch in Johannesburg, leaders of the unions pledged their full support for the initiative, endorsing its framework for advocacy within southern African countries.