Chairperson, over and above the right to health in section 27(1)(a) of the Constitution that government must adhere to, South Africa has also ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has stated that this treaty obligation must be understood as requiring measures to improve child and maternal health, amongst other things. In this respect, monitoring and accountability are central human rights principles which are integral to the realisation of the right to health.
Human Rights Watch states that South Africa's maternal mortality rate has more than quadrupled in the past decade. It further states:
Underlying this problem, are shortcomings in accountability and oversight mechanisms that authorities use to monitor health care system performance, identify failings and needs, and make timely interventions.
Die organisasie wys ook dat Suid-Afrika eintlik al die hulpbronne het om goeie gesondheidsdienste te lewer. Die kern van die probleem is dat die relevante oorsigliggame nog nie funksioneer nie. Ons gesondheidsprobleme onstaan dus vanuit 'n diensleweringsgebrek eerder as net 'n tekort aan fondse of fasiliteite.
Daarom wil ons adviseer dat die regering eerder die basiese diensleweringsprobleme uit die weg moet ruim voordat daar beplan word aan 'n reuseprojek soos die Nasionale Gesondheidsversekering.
Belastingbetalers in Suid-Afrika word reeds swaar belas en om nog 'n belasting in die huidige ekonomiese klimaat in te stel, sal die werkende middelklas net verder verklein. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[The organisation has also indicated that South Africa actually has all the resources to deliver good health services. The root of the problem is that the relevant oversight bodies are not yet functioning. Our health care problems thus originate from a lack of service delivery rather than merely a shortage in funds or facilities.
Therefore we want to advise that the government should rather sort out the basic service delivery problems prior to embarking on a huge project such as the National Health Insurance.
Taxpayers in South Africa are already heavily taxed and imposing another form of tax in the current economic climate will only further shrink the working middle class.]
If this government wishes to ensure that it fulfils its national and international obligations, then getting the basics right, like service delivery, is the place to start. The only way to ensure that service delivery takes place according to acceptable standards is by ensuring that the oversight bodies for health care are given life and appropriate strong instruments to punish bad service delivery.