Johannesburg – The escalating cost of healthcare, under funding, the increase in the number of people visiting healthcare facilities and limited resources are some of the challenges faced by the Gauteng Health Department says Health MEC Brian Hlongwa.

Speaking at a three-day Health Human Resources Indaba, Mr Hlongwa said: “The number of people visiting our primary healthcare facilities has risen from a mere one million in 1994 to the current figure of 12 million.”

The event, which kicked off on Tuesday, is aimed at addressing the skills shortages in the sector by developing a Human Resources Planning Framework and to strengthen partnerships.

The MEC said the answer to the challenges lies in stronger financial discipline, improved controls and better utilisation of limited resources

Last year, the department introduced a provincial health budget of more than R12. 5 billion, a 15 percent increase over the previous year’s figure.

However, Mr Hlongwa noted that more money spent on healthcare does not necessarily result in better outcomes.

“The question is not how much money do you have to spend, the issue is how do you spend the money, how do you allocate your limited resources, how do you monitor the outcomes, how do you ensure that you receive a positive return on every rand that you have invested into healthcare,” questioned Mr Hlongwa.

He reminded delegates that while the health sector needed more money, so did other areas such as education, crime prevention and law enforcement, the repair of our roads and infrastructure, the provision of water, power and sanitation as well as the huge backlog in housing.

“Let me assure you that we are in there fighting for more money for health care, negotiating better salaries and improved working conditions for our staff, pushing for more and better equipped facilities,” said Mr Hlongwa.

He said he hoped the indaba resulted in an effective action plan and implementation with regards to human resources.

“We want to see workable solutions attached to deadlines and deliverables, your function is to tell me where this province should be in six months or 12 months time,” said Mr Hlongwa, adding that he wanted commitment from stakeholders in this regards. – BuaNews