Honourable Members,

I stand before you to engage on a fundamental feature of any prosperous society – a well-functioning health system. It is fundamental because it affects the everyday realities of our people and is a basic human right.

The reality is that there are millions of South Africans living in rural areas who continue to face inconveniences and frustrations caused by inadequately run and supplied public health facilities. This we acknowledge and intend resolving.
Nevertheless, we also must point out that great strides have been made in our healthcare system. The accessibility of our public health programmes has significantly increased over the past thirty years. Far more people now have access to basic healthcare facilities than before, and awareness of health-related matters is higher, thanks to our healthcare campaigns and vaccination drives.

We are now building on that foundation through the National Health Insurance (NHI), the next great step forward in transforming our healthcare system. The NHI will ensure that access to quality health is not determined by one’s economic status or class, but by the fact that one is a human being, worthy of excellent healthcare.
Health and a well-run healthcare system, Honourable Members, is an integral part of development. There can be little likelihood of a thriving and prosperous nation if half of its population suffers ill-health. Therefore, we have woven healthcare into our central thrust of overall development, so that, as we contribute on a world stage, we do so from a strong position.

South Africa is not an isolated entity; we are members of an international community, and our well-being is entwined with developments everywhere else on the globe. Our foreign policy is rooted in the principles of sovereignty, non-alignment and multilateral cooperation. We are open to speak with all nations and institutions that respect our sovereignty and share our vision of world that is just and equitable. Therefore, we continue to speak up for a multipolar world where no single nation or bloc of nations determines the developmental path of another. We form relationships that are premised on mutual respect and collaboration as equals.

The withdrawal of foreign aid that has affected our country may be seen as a crisis by some, but a crisis is also an opportunity. We have an opportunity to move rapidly towards greater self-reliance and greater collaboration and interdependence among developing nations. We have incredible resources, both material and human, and must fully leverage these to plug any funding gaps that become apparent. We must work especially on intra-African cooperation, ensuring that as a continent we are not left behind and vulnerable because of a shifting in the preferences of global powers.

The volatile international scenario can have an influence on our healthcare system. Apart from the withdrawal of funding for certain programmes, we can also be affected by fluctuations in international markets and disruptions in global supply chains. This is one of the reasons we are so geared toward maintaining cordial trade and diplomatic relations with a diversity of partners. It is the only way to ensure a steady supply of certain essentials and ensures mutual strengthening in a multitude of ways. Specifically, our participation in key multilateral institutions has allowed us to keep pushing for fair access to medical resources for developing countries.

Honourable Members, we have a vision of a nation where every man, woman and child has access to the best quality services, including healthcare services. We have made great strides forward but still have a way to go. Our healthcare system is not perfect, but we see progress that no one can deny. We are now at a point where efforts are intensifying as we move toward implementation of the National Health Insurance plan, stepping up our self-reliance and our internal resilience in the midst of the world’s volatility.

As a nation, we cannot depend on others to define our path. We have the knowledge, the resources, and the will to shape our own future. We also have strong alliances that involve mutual growth and knowledge exchange for the strengthening of our neighbours and ourselves. We have what it takes. Let us therefore move forward with confidence, not just talking but acting in a concrete way to express our vision of a just, well-functioning nation with an excellent, easy-to-use healthcare system, among many other working systems.

We have partly achieved our goals, Honourable Members, not fully. Let us push forward with hope, knowing that we have long passed the stage where talk satisfied; the only thing that satisfies is action and delivery on promises. For this we need a whole lot more than good intentions; we need professionalism, high levels of competence, a rooting out of all corruption, and high levels of efficiency in our public service.

I urge all our members, Departments and staff to take this call seriously. We can do this, Honourable Members, if we keep our focus on serving the people, who confidently place their trust in us to listen and respond. Let excellence and efficiency become our watchwords. Our people deserve nothing less.

I thank you.