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SA: Statement by Gauteng Health, on public health facilities audit (21/03/2013)

21st March 2013

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/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The Gauteng Department of Health facilities top ranking in the national audit of public health facilities is all thanks to dedicated and committed staff, says MEC Hope Papo. The results of the audit were revealed by the Director General of the Department of Health, Ms Precious Matsoso, during her presentation to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday, 19 March 2013, in Cape Town.

"We are very excited, and cautious, that our facilities have scored high. For this all thanks must go to men and women in clinics, community health centres and hospitals," said MEC Papo. "Improving the quality of care is a responsibility on which we dare not fail. The news should encourage all healthcare workers in Gauteng to aim for excellence in order to regain the confidence of the people we serve."

A yearlong independent audit of all public health facilities was conducted in 2011 involve clinics, community health centers and district, regional, specialized and tertiary hospitals in all nine provinces. The audit is aimed at establishing baseline for quality of care improvement in all public health facilities ahead of the National health Insurance (NHI) rollout.

The inspection team used standardized measurement tools and capturing the collected data into the Department of Health Information Systems (DHIS) Core Standards for Health Establishments database.

Gauteng scored 69% for quality, followed by KwaZulu-Natal (58%), the Free State (57%) and Western Cape (57%). For infrastructure, Gauteng scored 70% and the Western Cape ranked fifth at 54%. The results of the audit are to be used as a baseline for healthcare improvements in preparation for the National Health Insurance (NHI) rollout.

The report also flagged areas that needed improvements in all facilities based on the core standards and the list of non-negotiable items - things that must be there in health facilities.

Among the best ranked facilities in the Gauteng Province included Steve Biko Academic (81%), Charlotte Maxeke (62%) and Dr George Mukhari (61%) Hospitals. On the ten best performing districts, five were from Gauteng Province taking positions 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

"While errors are commonly caused by faulty systems, processes and conditions that lead people to make mistakes or fail to prevent them," said Mr. Ndoda Biyela the Acting Head of Department, "the task is to ensure that mistakes can best be prevented by designing systems to make it harder for people to do something wrong and easier for them to do it right. This is the focus of our turnaround strategy moving forward.”

The audit’s areas of assessment included:  the range of health services provided by a public health facility, the self-reported profile of each facility – including its location, catchment population, referral network, accessibility for patients, utilities available, and physical infrastructure and size – all to be verified on-site by an Audit Team, the state of the physical infrastructure in terms of condition, safety and compliance with building regulations.

The availability and basic functionality of medical equipment and backups, including an age analysis of items requiring replacement, the degree of compliance with national quality standards in the following priority areas: the values and attitude of staff; the cleanliness of facilities; patient waiting times; patient safety and security; infection prevention and control; and the availability of critical medicines and supplies (otherwise known as the six priority areas).

The allocation and availability of human resources in the various categories of occupation and skills breakdown in the facility, the status and utilisation of Health Information Systems (as applicable to regional, specialized and tertiary hospitals), the general utilisation rates of healthcare services and facilities (in order to develop norms and standards), and the budget and expenditure reports for the health facilities.

MEC Papo concluded; "Providing safe, high quality patient care must be an obligation and focus of public healthcare. Improving quality and eliminating errors requires building an organizational culture dedicated to improvement, focusing resources on the structures, processes and monitoring systems that will ensure patients receive the care they need without risk of harm. The audit results are a clear indication that efforts need to be intensified."

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