Rural-Proofing Policy and Budgeting Programme Archives - Page 3 of 6

The Rural-Proofing Policy and Budgeting Programme (RPP)

RHAP is now in the second phase of the Rural-Proofing Policy and Budgeting Programme: Realising Rural Health Rights in Times of Austerity (RRA).

The objective of the RRA is to ensure equitable access to quality health care for rural people by promoting, protecting and fulfilling the right to health. We work towards achieving this end goal by budget analysis, research and local learning sites; technical advocacy to Government; stakeholder engagement; alliance building and campaigns; popular publications; story-telling and the law. The experiences and voices of HCWs and patients play a central role in our work, enhanced by technical analyses of root causes and proposed equity-based solutions.

The RRA has two broad components:

Promoting adequate budgets, efficient spending and policies that improve access to health care for rural communities through rural-proofing processes and principles
Protecting existing services to rural communities from cost-containment measures that lead to a deterioration of access in care and that disproportionally affect rural communities

For more information contact Russell at Russell@rhap.org.za

Ethical Perspective: Five Unacceptable Trade-offs on the Path to Universal Health Coverage’, Norheim, O. International Journal of Health Policy and Management. 2015 Nov; 4(11): 711–714.

This article discusses what ethicists have called “unacceptable trade-offs” in health policy choices related to universal health coverage (UHC). Since the fiscal space is constrained, trade-offs need to be made. But some trade-offs are unacceptable on the path to universal coverage. Unacceptable choices include, among other examples from low-in ...

1536 views 0 likes Mar 20, 2017

Making fair choices on the path to universal health coverage. Final report of the WHO Consultative Group on Equity and Universal Health Coverage’. World Health Organisation (2014)

Executive summary Universal health coverage (UHC) is defined as all people receiving quality health services that meet their needs without being exposed to financial hardship in paying for the services. Given resource constraints, this does not entail all possible services, but a comprehensive range of key services that is well aligned with oth ...

1257 views 0 likes Mar 20, 2017

It’s time we fix the way we fund health care

A shortened version now online in Bhekisisa M&G Health: http://bhekisisa.org/article/2017-03-02-00-radical-transformation-begins-with-fixing-how-we-fund-healthcare-in-remote-areas Picture caption: Nurse accomodation at a deeply rural hospital faced with a staffing crisis in the Eastern Cape. Few healhcare workers agree to come and work here ...

3383 views 1 likes Mar 2, 2017

Human rights, access to care and health activism. RHAP Presentation at Health Inequities Conference.

At the International Conference on Health Inequities and the Social Determinants of Health hosted by Wits School of Public Health and SAMA on 22-23 February 2017, Marije Versteeg-Mojanaga presented on inequities in rural health care at times of budget constraints; explaining why our priority-setting process if flawed; why cutting now is costing ...

1357 views 0 likes Mar 1, 2017

307 interns are still without an offer of employment for 2017 due to budget cuts

The RHAP is very concerned but not surprised about the news that broke this morning that 307 interns are still without an offer of employment for 2017 due to budget cuts (point 8 below). While the memo below refers to the education crisis as the main reason for the budget cut (point 9), this is symptomatic for a broader problem: the overall und ...

1916 views 1 likes Nov 4, 2016

MTBPS 2016: The Rural Health Advocacy Project warns against further health service cuts to those most in need following continued fiscal consolidation

Rural Health Advocacy Project Press Statement MTBPS 2016: The Rural Health Advocacy Project warns against further health service cuts to those most in need following continued fiscal consolidation 27 October 2016 Following the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) by Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, on 26 October 2016, we reflect in t ...

4188 views 0 likes Oct 27, 2016

NHI White Paper Submission by Rural Partners Network: “THINK RURAL”!

The South African government is currently embarking on one of its most ambitious transformation projects of the last 20 years. The introduction of the National Health Insurance (NHI) has the potential to fundamentally shift how the provision of health care is funded, how the system is structured and how services are accessed. The NHI could, if ...

3481 views 1 likes Jun 7, 2016

Report on Rural Health Imbizo in Dr RSM District, NW Province, 21 May 2016

On 21 May the RHAP together with RuDASA hosted a rural health imbizo in one of the most rural districts in the country, Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati (Dr RSM) District in North West Province. Over 100 community members from around 14 villages attended the Imbizo, some represented NGO’s operating in the area, others represented community health work ...

2046 views 1 likes May 26, 2016

Press Statement: The RHAP welcomes the Health Minister’s statement on staffing moratoria and calls for the protection of critical health posts in times of austerity

The RHAP welcomes the Health Minister’s statement on staffing moratoria and calls for the protection of critical health posts in times of austerity 9 February 2016 The RHAP welcomes the Minister’s statement[1] to the press dated 8 February in which he responds to allegations of “frozen posts” in the health system. In his response the Minister w ...

3037 views 0 likes Feb 9, 2016

Causes, implications and possible responses to the implementation of staffing moratoria in the public health system in South Africa during times of budget austerity

The purpose of this working paper is to draw attention to the causes, consequences and possible responses to the implementation of moratoria on the filling of posts within the health system. Human resource moratoria, also referred to as the ‘freezing of posts’, have become an increasingly common occurrence within the public health system over t ...

3882 views 0 likes Nov 25, 2015