Stronger Together: Service Providers and Communities Unite at the Rural Health Conference 2024 in Mpumalanga.
“Together WE CAN Make a Difference”: Ms Lungile Kasapato
Rural areas face unique challenges such as limited access to healthcare services, a shortage of healthcare professionals, scarcity of basic resources, less financial support, and inappropriate infrastructure. The 2024 Rural Health Conference took place on the 1 to 3 August 2024 and was themed: United Health Care For All – Collaborating for better health. It focused on how unique collaborative and creative efforts from healthcare providers, community organizations, and government departments can help address some of these challenges and thus improve access to care and health outcomes in rural areas.
Collaboration between health professionals provides a platform to share resources and expertise. By working together, healthcare providers can pool their knowledge to provide comprehensive care, strengthen the healthcare system and share the load of the multiple roles which rural healthcare providers already fill by necessity. But collaboration between different sectors is also essential to build a healthier future for rural communities.
At the conference, Ms Octavia Tembe highlighted the need for interdepartmental collaboration, particularly between the Department of Education and Health. A collaborative approach provides “holistic development, improved educational outcomes, efficient use of resources, community and family engagement, policy development and implementation and sustainability benefits” said Ms Octavia Tembe at the 2024 Rural Health Conference. She highlights the importance of these collaborations, reminding us that “every child is a national asset” and “the touchstone for a healthy and sustainable society”.
Beyond collaboration of professionals and departments, there is also a need to collaborate with patients and their families. Mental health services in rural areas provide a crucial example of this recognising the significant role that caregivers of mental health care users (MHCU) play. One major concern is that only 5% of the South African public health budget is dedicated to mental health care. How much of this 5% goes specifically to mental health in rural areas? Issues such as the long distances to healthcare facilities, caregivers having to step down from their jobs to care for their relatives with mental illness and the mental impact of caring for a person with mental illness were some of the challenges discussed by Dr Olindah Silaule. In her presentation, she emphasised the need to support caregivers of MHCU, as their mental health and well-being is often not considered, even though they often have traumatic experiences, while caring for these patients, including physical violence and destruction of property.
An extremely sad example of this is found in the story of Ellen Pakkies who took the life of her son because she was unable to access assistance from police or healthcare services to deal with the overwhelming effects of his substance abuse. To adequately support these caregivers, Dr Olindah recommended an intersectoral approach involving the departments of social development, education, criminal justice, and human settlement, as well as mental health policymakers, communities, and non-governmental organisations.
One model of collaboration that could be used to improve healthcare in South Africa, despite the rising costs, is value-based care. Ms Lungile Kasapato shared that value-based care focuses on patient experience, medical cost, and organisational approach. In order to achieve patient centred care, she suggested that by running our health system like a business and having structured planning, we could achieve better health outcomes. Mr Ryan Banks shared another way to improve rural health service delivery using integrated data management systems. An example of this is the Bulungula Incubator where health, education, social and community programmes are monitored through beneficiary (patient) centred data systems.
In line with the belief that collaboration is crucial for the improvement of rural health care in South Africa, the Rural Health Alliance (RHA) was founded at the 2023 Rural Health Conference. This Alliance aims to unify advocacy efforts and strengthen rural healthcare in South Africa. A panel discussion facilitated by the Rural Health Advocacy Project (RHAP) explored the vital need for this Alliance, and discussed challenges like human resources, resource allocation and the role of community-led advocacy in rural areas.
This year’s conference showed that collaboration within and outside the health system is vital for overcoming resource limitations, enhancing care quality, and involving the community in health initiatives. It also emphasised the need for mental health awareness for healthcare professionals, caregivers, and their patients. Through these collective efforts, rural healthcare systems can become more efficient, effective, and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. We would like to call on all those who are passionate about rural health to join us in the Rural Health Alliance, as we work together to create a healthier future for all.