21

Women in Healthcare

What women want 

Our Recommendations

7

Integration

Innovation

Increased 

Access and 

Quality

Based upon our Hopes &Fears and the existing Barriers & Enablers, the following interventions 
were proposed to be potential solutions to some of our country’s most urgent healthcare needs.

Allow

task-shifting

inthepublicsector

sothatnursescandiagnose,prescribe

andperformcertainprocedures

Offer healthcare workers, in the public 
sector, 

performance bonuses 

for 

providing exceptional service to patients 

and implement penalties for non-
performance, poor patient satisfaction 
or non-attendance, during hours of 
service

Develop

a

web-based

set

of

standardoperatingprocessesand
policies

forthedeliveryofhealthcare

servicesinclinicsandhospitals,with

simplelistsandtick-boxes

EncourageMedicalSchemestofunction
as

truenon-profitorganisations

whoare
>advocatesforhighquality,cost-

effectivepatientcare

>strategicpurchasersofhealthcare

services

>publishersofhealthoutcomesand

patient-reportedoutcomesrelatedto

doctors,hospitalsandalliedhealthcare

workers

>Encouragedoctorsintheprivatesector

toformgrouppractices,insteadof
continueasindependentpractitioners,

astheseteamsarebettersuitedto

provide

holistic,

consistent,

coordinatedcaretoacommunityof

patients

Workprogressivelytowardsimplementing

universalhealthinsurance

sothat

allSouthAfricanscanaccesshealthcare

basedontheirneedsandnottheirwealth

Build

an

integrated

national

healthinformationsystem

thatis

freeandopentoallproviderstouse,

withaccess

topersonalmedical

informationcontrolledbythepatient

Developtheworld’sbest

hybrid

model

of

private-public

healthcare

whichisdefinedbyhigh

quality,cost-effectivehealthcare

Encouragetheprivatesectortosupport

public

healthcare

interventions

by

creatingtaxincentivesforcompanies

andascorecardbasedonparticipation
inthe

knowledgesharingand

capacitybuilding

withtheState

Improve

collaboration

between

healthcarefunders,pharmaceuticals,

cliniciansandhospitalsinorderto
ensure

greatercoordinationand

moreefficientuse

oflimited

healthcareresources

System-wide

performance

goals

to

link

upstream

and

downstreamcare

Value-basedpaymentstrategy

todrivetherightcareattherightplace

bytherightpersonandattherightprice

Hospitals

function

as

healthcare

systems

Setupclinicsandhospitalsas

one-stop

centresforwomenandchildren’s
health

Support

the

establishment

of

a

women-owned

South

African

pharmaceuticalmanufacturer

to

promoteemployment,greaterresearch

into

women's

health

issues

and

empowermentoflocalentrepreneurs

Create

innovative

healthcare

financing

productssuchasmicro-

financing

mobile-based

short-term

insuranceproductsformaternity

Providean

affordablehealthinsurance

productforprimaryhealthcare

for

SouthAfricanwomen

Increasefundingforresearch
related

to

women’s

health

issues

andencourageinnovationby

providingplatformsforexperimentation

anddesigninthesector

Develop

technologicalsolutions

thatconnectpeopletothehealthcare

systemthroughmobileorwebdevices

forhomemonitoring,directliaisonwith

ahealthcareworkerore-prescribing

Promote

incubators,

atMedical

Schools,whichencourageinnovation

andexperimentationinthehealthcare

sectorsothatSouthAfricanscandrive

thenextdecadeofdiscoveriesin

healthcare

Pool expensive clinical support such as 

imaging, image reading and laboratories 

into central locations and create a wheel 

and spoke referral system