Hon Chairperson, hon Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, I rise on this occasion to make my maiden speech in Parliament. I am proud to represent the ANC, the movement of the people, as they overwhelmingly confirmed in the recent 2009 national elections. Once more the people have expressed their faith in the ANC's policies and leadership in government.
While we have made great strides as a country, we also understand that much more has to be done. Health care, a key priority in this administration, is one such area that requires our attention. Health care is a human right. It is therefore an imperative for government to ensure the fulfilment of that right.
Primary health care emerged in response to the growing demand for health, particularly in developing countries. The most common understanding of primary health care is that it is the first point of contact with the health system. Primary health care is therefore our first line of defence. It is the first level of contact with the individual, the family and the community. Bringing health care as close as possible to where people live and work constitutes the first element of continuing health care progress.
The comprehensive approach of primary health care advocates for universal accessibility, but it is also an approach to focus on disease prevention and health promotion. In this regard, the Alma Ata Declaration suggests that primary health care should include a number of basic elements, namely: An adequate supply of safe water and basic sanitation; promotion of food supply and proper nutrition; maternal and child health care, including family planning; immunisation against the major infectious diseases; the prevention and control of local endemic diseases; appropriate treatment of common diseases and injury; health education; and the provision of essential drugs.
Social and restorative justice strongly informs the concept of comprehensive primary health care, recognising the importance of addressing the underlying social, economic and political causes of poor health. This is not an ideological or philosophical position, but these priorities and position agree with the World Health Organisation, to which South Africa is a signatory.
Chairperson, with regard to health the Freedom Charter states that we must commit ourselves to a preventive health scheme to be run by the state, and free medical care and hospitalisation to be provided for all, with special care for mothers and young children. We have succeeded in many areas, but we have to put in great effort to bring health care closer to the people, especially in rural and remote communities. Much more needs to be done to improve the quality of care and ensure better health outcomes.
The lack of private-public partnerships in health care is a barrier to better health that must be overcome. We cannot continue with a situation where the bulk of resources are to be found in the private sector, serving the minority of our people, while the public health services serve the majority with limited resources. Some may argue for free enterprise in health care, but how do you justify this when millions of our people are suffering due to lack of access to health care? How do you justify profits over the lives of people? Can there be no social and restorative justice for our people, who have suffered for so many years, and continue to suffer?
I am grateful to see that, as part of the department's strategic plan, there is a programme beginning to establish a public-private partnership. This is especially critical in areas where there are private hospitals, but ordinary people from the same areas are not allowed to use those facilities. They are therefore forced to travel long distances to get health services. This cannot continue to be the case.
The ANC is determined to end the huge inequalities that exist between the public and private sectors by making sure that these sectors work together. It is in this regard that the ANC, at the Polokwane conference, identified a number of essential priorities for major improvement in our health care system. [Interjections.] I don't blame you, because I also did not know where Polokwane was. I had never heard of it.
Among other things, the following have been identified as essential priorities for improving the quality of health services: Meet the national standards of quality care and ensure better health outcomes; overhaul the management system - a key priority is to ensure that management receives relevant training in order to perform optimally; improve human resource management - an effective retention strategy is essential; and revitalise physical infrastructure - this must include adequate provision of equipment. The lack of equipment and support leads to extreme frustration and undermines the ability of our health professionals to deliver a quality service to our people. Frustration is very high among health professionals in rural and remote areas.