SECTION27 welcomes the opportunity to provide comments on the National Health Amendment Bill, 2011 (“Bill”) to the National Assembly Portfolio Committee on Health (“Committee”). We are very encouraged by the move by the Department of Health (“Department”) in taking steps to establish a single, accountable and independent Office of Health Standards Compliance (“Office) that has wide and far reaching powers to ensure quality health care services in both the private and public health systems. We consider this to be an important part of the state’s responsibility in terms of section 27 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (“Constitution”) to take reasonable legislative and other measures, within its available resources, to achieve the progressive realisation of the right to have access to health care services.

Report by Section 27