PHEELLO SETONA
Healthy living for South Africans
One of the basic challenges facing South Africa is provision of better living and there conditions attached to it. A better nation increase economic growth as most people engage into mainstream economy through different means. However, one major challenge is huge expenditure to the department of health in order to meet constitutional duty of providing better living and right to life. South Africa is challenged with importing medical solutions from other countries and as a results what is supposed to be used for infrastructural development is reduced to accomodate this medical demand.
In his book, Things that could not be said, Reverend Frank Chikane extensively elaborate on HIV crisis they faced when he was still a member of Former President Thabo Mbeki cabinet, that there was a locked consensus with other countries to supply South Africa with vaccine for HIV and that resulted in the country spending chunk of the money to pharmaceutical companies. The solution to the problem was to develop industrialization especially introduction of black industrialists in order to find solution to any palliative illness and scientist that will develop medical solutions. This would have created jobs and reduce government spending on foreign pharmaceutical companies.
Another challenge to healthy living was nutritional aspects, that even if you provide a patient with medicine, if the patient didnt have good diet, the medication will fail to work. Now, one of the programmes was to push concept of allowing every community to plant vegetables and start to eat healthy as that would help in prolonging life of an hiv positive person and replace any kind of medication. As both they are meant to prolong life expectancy of individuals.
Technologically healthwise to enhance public policy based on NDP 2030.
17 Apr 2017, 12:36
1. Introduction
A proper government function well in accordance to its policies that has been formulated through process including public participation. Dror (2003:12) Public policy is very complex and dynamic process whose various components makes different contribution and also decides on major guidelines for action directed at the future mainly by governmental future. It fair to argue positively that without the interests of the public, no policy can be established as all public policies are meant to address their needs. But then we have poverty and societal division that are main challenges government need to resolve, the blog will look at how industry 4.0 will drive and move to the point of finding solutions through modern technological means. In meeting such challenges and addressing the needs, will innovatively look at what can technological means can be utilised in order to meet public interests.
2. Challenges facing community that results in poverty.
Identify health is paramount to the existence and success of the country’s contribution to healthy economy and also better labour force. In addressing poverty alleviation that sometimes is perceived as tool for societal division, we need to look at how healthy lifestyle play major role. However, Jobson (2015:5) criticise public healthcare system that it continues to deliver services albeit with some inefficiencies, inadequate quality of care in some facilities and poor infrastructure in some places.
Mayosi & Benetar (2014) also agrees about the implication of poverty and health as they said that when extreme poverty affects a large proportion of the population, as in South Africa, health is predominantly affected by a lack of access to the basic requirement for life, clean water, adequate nutrition, effective sanitation, reasonable housing conditions, access to vaccinations, good school and the childhood and adolescent nurturing that, with the availability of jobs, set the scene for improved health and longevity.
According to Bernstein (2011:19), believes that healthcare reform is an urgent and at the same time extremely difficult challenge for South Africa’s policy makers, one which presents opportunities and risks across both public and private healthcare sectors. Fair enough, it has its own challenges as explained in this blog, but let us look at how this can be assisted by Industry.40 through technological development.
3. Societal division in healthcare system.
It is through provision of healthcare that those who have the means of getting better service will remain with public health institution and those with better financial back up will continue to receive medical attention from private sector. Van Rensburg (2014:10) The impact of racial policies, early colonialism apartheid and separate development led to a race-based division of health services into separate institutions, later aggravated by health services being organised into separate homelands, each with an own health department and own professional bodies. Further left the country with two-classification system of healthcare and rendered South Africa as extremely inequity in every spheres of life including healthcare. It is clear that those who afford will prefer to make use of private sector while the poorer will adversely utilise public facilities and this make the majority of the country.
4. Industry 4.0 assistance in resolving public healthcare.
It is important to realise the modern technology should come and rescue current challenges and contribute to the existing body of knowledge. According to Oni, et al (2016) upstream determinants of health9 including social protection, employment (formal and informal), education, forensic pathology) need to be monitored by integrating routine date sets across sectors and a coordinated analysis of intersectoral data to inform research and policy priorities and intervention. True, I will imagine current situation whereby a medical practitioner has to trace diagnoses of patient coming from another health facilities. It is quite difficult considering that they still use manual filing and tracing of patients, whenever a patient has to move, the patient must move with his or her own file.
A patient diagnosed with cancer for instance, and cannot be assisted by hospital in Vryburg in the Northwest province has to move to Klerksdorp hospital in the same province, however it is technologically challenging to trace all patient’s background before oncologist can treat or provide chemotherapy. Gilchrist (2016:14) followed on how patient can utilise technology and he referred to Guy’s and St Thomas’s Nation Health Service Foundation Trust that piloted the use of smartphones as health monitors whereby patient’s kits will compromise of smartphones ,scale, oxygen sensors and blood pressure cuff. Moreover, the idea is that patients will take daily readings of their weight, heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels, then upload the data to smartphones via Bluetooth to be sent to BT’s telehealth service.
Once more, technology seems to have solution to saving life of patients especially those in intensive care unit. Toussaint & Gerard (2010:10) found that people with failed digestive system who need to be fed through an intravenous catheter in order to keep their body fighting and alive, these patients receives a highly concentrated solution of glucose and vitamins through this catheter inserted into major vein in the chest or neck.
5. Conclusion
Clearly, we can save more life by looking at historical background affected by inequalities and meeting it with introduction of modern technology through industry.40 into the system. Equally, this will enhance the systems and provide efficient services. We have seen how technology can provide patient background in cases whereby it is necessary to provide relevant medication for patient. In practicing transformation in culture and others sources, a look at technology is important and we cannot ignore its exposure into real life. Public services will be much better with the advancement of technology.
Reference
Bernstein, A. 2014. Informing South African policy: Reforming healthcare in South Africa. Centre for Development and Enterprise.
Dror, Y. 2003. Public policy making re-examined.New Jersey. Transaction Publishers.
Gilchrist, A. 2016. Industry 4.0: The industrial internet of things. Thailand. Apress.
Jobson, M. 2015. Structure of health system in South Africa. Johannesburg. Khulumani Support Group.
Manyosi B, M & Benatar, R S. 2014. Health and health care in South Africa- 20 years after Mandela. 371:1344-1353
Oni, T & Smit, W, et al: Urban health research in Africa: Themes and priority research questions. New York Academy of medicine.
Oni, T, Smit, W, Matzopoulos, R, Adams, J,H, Pentecost, M, Rother, H,A, Albertyn, Z, Behroozi, F, Alaba, O, Kaba, M, Van der Westhuizen, C, King, M,S, Levitt, N,S, Parnell, S and Lambert, V,E. 2016. Urban health research in Africa: Themes and priority research questions. New York Academy of medicine.
Toussaint, j, & Gerard, R, A. 2010. On the mend: Revolutionizing healthcare to save lives and transform the industry. Cambridge. Lean Enterprise Institute, Inc.
Van Rensburg CJ, H. 2014. South Africa protracted struggle for equal distribution of equitable access –still not there. University of Free State. Centre for health system research and development.