Date: 10/05/2004
Source: Ministry of Health
Title: M Tshabalala-Msimang: Inauguration of Health Professions Council of SA


SPEECH BY THE MINISTER OF HEALTH, DR MANTO TSHABALALA-MSIMANG, AT THE INAUGURATION OF THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA, HPCSA BUILDINGS, Pretoria, 10 May 2004

Programme Director
President elect of the Council
Outgoing President
Registrar
Members of the Council
All invited guests, ladies and gentlemen

It is a great pleasure for me to have been invited to address you at this inaugural ceremony. Before I congratulate the new members the council on your appointments let me take this opportunity to extend a word of gratitude to the outgoing members of the council. The time they dedicated to serve on the council is much appreciated. You have demonstrated qualities needed to serve in the Council. Serving in this very important structure entails commitment, innovation and responsibility together with the ability to function effectively in a team whose members are drawn from diverse backgrounds and expertise.

Co-incidentally, both government and the council are at the start of new five-year terms in our respective spheres of responsibilities. It is important that we have a common understanding of the challenges facing the health sector. It is imperative to realise from the beginning that it will take our combined efforts to work together to overcome whatever difficulties may be encountered in future.

We should be driven by the desire to bring dignity to our people through quality health care.

In order to ensure that we are all on par regarding the significance of this ceremony, let me give a brief historical context. From 1994 previously fragmented Health Departments merged to form one national health system envisaged in the White Paper on Transformation of Health Services. In line with this process Health Statutory Councils also changed with the merging of the former Transkeian, Ciskeian and South African Medical Councils. These were replaced by the establishment of the Interim Medical and Dental Council of South Africa in September 1995. The Interim Council facilitated the transition from the South African Medical and Dental Council to the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).

I think we are all aware of the fact that the motivation for the changes in the Health Sector was to make resources available to all the population in an equitable manner as a part of the effort to realise "A better life for all"

The Health Professions Act had to be amended to facilitate the changes. The commitment to transformation was demonstrated by the unprecedented level of consultation that was undertaken during the establishment of the HPCSA. Every conceivable stakeholder was consulted before the Council was finally established in May 1999. I imagine that it might have felt like a long time before the five-year term of that Council would be over, however, your gathering here today bears testimony to the fact that time has passed, and we are here to celebrate the establishment of the second term of a transformed Council.

Mechanisms were put in place for the transformation of Statutory Councils. However, we realised that the pace at which transformation was taking place was not fast enough. At a meeting between the Ministry of Health and the Chairpersons and Registrars of Councils in November 2001, a Task Team on the Transformation of Statutory Councils was formed. Its main focus was to look at the role of Councils, their contribution to the transformation of the Health Sector, their membership, operational procedures and communication with and accountability to the Department of Health and the public.

The Task Team was to address matters that are common to all Councils and make recommendations that would be included in the policy framework within which Councils function. I also wish to mention that one is proud of the work performed by the Task Team, which consisted of Council members and Department of Health officials.

At this stage, it is important for me to share with you a paraphrased version of the recommendations made by the Task Team. They concluded that:

* The fundamental purpose of Health Statutory Councils is to protect and promote public interests by ensuring delivery of quality care,
* Councils have a role in proposing legislation, proactively advising and offering comment to the Minister on matters affecting their jurisdiction,
* Councils should be receptive to issues on the ground and ensure that they respond to the needs of the public,
* Councils should prepare and submit a Strategic Plan and annual reports to the Minister,
* The expectations on individuals appointed to Councils should be spelt out in a Charter for Councils,
* There must be clarity as to which responsibilities lie with the council and which with the CEO of that council.

These and many other recommendations place great responsibility on Health Statutory Councils. I hope all members of the Council are going to pull together to ensure the success of their term in the Council. Differences of opinion will from time to time manifest themselves but these should not be allowed to derail the core purpose and function of the Council. As I mentioned earlier, five years may seem to be a long period at the beginning of the term, but that is just a perception, it is not in actual fact such a long time.

The Cabinet has endorsed the report of the Task Team. As such I will be called upon from time to time to present a progress report to Cabinet and the Portfolio Committee on Health in Parliament on this matter.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to reiterate that due to advances in technology, our world has shrunk to what is sometimes termed the global village. This places new demands on all of us. Most of the developing countries are experiencing an unprecedented level of recruitment of health professionals who are lured by the prospect of greener pastures to more developed countries. Partly to address this problem, the Department has embarked on the development of new cadres of health workers like the Mid-level workers. Professions like Radiography, Physiotherapy, Speech Language & Hearing, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, and Medical Technologists have been engaged in discussions about the development of mid-level workers with career pathing. We have also launched the Medical Assistant Programme in March 2004 and need the support of the new Council to make sure that we realise our goals.

To the newly inaugurated Council, I would like to reiterate that we as the Ministry and Department of Health are there to support you in your endeavours to protect the interests of the public, especially the previously disadvantaged communities of our country. Let's build on the foundation laid by our predecessors. One of the key recommendations by the task team, which I have mentioned, was that during the beginning of a term, councils should set up 5 year strategic goals which should be reviewed regularly during the five years. The overall achievement of the goals can be assessed at the end of the five-year term.

Some of the challenges facing you include implementation of the following:
* Managing the introduction of a 2-year internship for medical doctors,
* Implementation of Community Service for other categories of health professionals;
* Development and embracing of mid-level workers;
* Participation on the Forum of Statutory Health Professional Councils; and
* Attempt to curb international trading on human organs: to name just a few.

To the President, it is your leadership that will ensure that the work that has been done is not in vain. Needless to say, that places an enormous responsibility on your shoulders. Members of your team should pull their resources and draw from their expertise in order to ensure sustainability of innovative changes and decisions made by the Council.

To all council members let me say that the onus in on you to live up to the confidence shown by people who elected or appointed you. You are in this Council for the purpose of representing the public. This also presents you an opportunity to make your mark in the transformation process. Be mindful of the fact that councils do not exist to protect the interests of registered professionals but to ensure that professional standards are not compromised.

It is equally important to say to the appointed members that the manner in which you conduct yourselves during the next five years will have direct bearing on the Department, since it appointed them. The appointments were drawn from a diverse background and the appointed members were found to have the most desired attributes. I urge you therefore to use those attributes to the benefit of both the public and Council.

The rights of the public out there should actually direct your deliberations in making sure that your legislative frameworks are in line with the transformation agenda of our country. It is important for health professionals and councils to continually update themselves with the latest developments locally and internationally. I believe that this council has an ongoing Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme for purposes of upgrading skills. In the technological world, the terrain is continuously changing and there is no room for us to rest assuming that we know everything within our profession. In order to contribute effectively to improving the lives of our people, professionals have to keep up with new developments and innovations.

To the Registrar let me point that the effective manner in which the affairs of the council have been handled is commended. We hope that you will continue to steer the new Council in the next five years. You will continue to interact with the Council members, the members of the public, the administrative personnel and the Department as effectively as you have done over the past years.

In conclusion, may I take this opportunity to declare this Council duly inaugurated. Best wishes to the new Council.

I thank you ladies and gentlemen.

Issued by: Ministry of Health
10 May 2004