WHITE PAPER ON HEALTH SYSTEM TRANSFORMATION

Issued by: Department of Health

16 April 1997

Pretoria - The Minister of Health, Dr N C Dlamini Zuma has tabled the White Paper on the Transformation of the Health System in South Africa, in parliament. The White Paper sets out a plan for the restructuring of the health system to ensure accessible and equitable health care for all.

The objectives of the restructuring are:

To unify fragmented health services at all levels into a comprehensive and integrated National Health System.
TO promote equity, accessibility and utilisation of health services.
To extend the availability and ensure the appropriateness of health services.
To develop health promotion activities.
To Develop human resources available to the health sector.
To foster community participation across the health sector.
To improve health sector planning and the monitoring of health status and services.

The new National Health System will be based on a District Health System. Some of the principles of this system of health care are equity, effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility and community participation. Each province will be subdivided into a number of functional health districts. The health district will serve both as a provider and purchaser of health services and select the most appropriate strategy on the basis of the principles set up above and an assessment of local conditions.

Copies of the White Paper for the Transformation of the Health System in South Africa will be published in Government Gazette No 17910 and are available from the Government Printers.