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“The White Paper is finalised and a lot is going on. In dealing with the issues going forward what I can say now is that technology, different business models and a change in behaviour in public health facilities will all be central to changing public healthcare in South Africa,”
Dr
Motsoaledi was speaking at the opening the three-day South African Medical
Association (SAMA) Conference at the Sandton Convention Centre on 18 September 2015.
The conference is focusing on several important issues facing healthcare professionals in South Africa. The early session highlighted the ethical questions related to end of life decisions and the legal and ethical issues faced by physicians.
Speakers included Dr Liz Gwyther, CEO of Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA), Professor Melodie Slabbert, the Deputy Executive Dean for the College of Law at the University of South Africa and Professor Ames Dhai, the Director of the Steve Biko Centre for Bioethics at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Read: NHI: economic suicide for doctors?
During her presentation, Dr Gwyther said that if South Africa legalised euthanasia it was crossing a line and was saying that it was okay to kill another person. Prof Dhai said current national and international guidelines for doctors condemn euthanasia.
Professor Slabbert noted that the issue of euthanasia was one the Constitutional Court was likely to decide on in the near future.
Read: Health24's CyberDoc asked euthanasia prof to help him die
“Today’s
programme again highlights the importance of the SAMA Conference. Through this
debate and interaction with government and role-players in our profession we
are able to provide critical insight into the state of healthcare in South
Africa and collectively understand the challenges we face,” says Dr Mzukisi
Grootboom, the Chairperson of SAMA.
The
conference continues tomorrow and will look at, among other topics, the
proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) model and how it will affect private
and public medical practitioners, and the legal and ethical principles of
medical aid fraud.
A
highlight of the conference was the SAMA-Bonitas
House-call Doctor’s Awards which recognise medical heroes who have been nominated
by their peers in the profession.
For
more information on the conference and exhibition, please visit www.samedical.org and follow the tabs to
the conference.
Updates on the conference will be posted on Facebook and Twitter before and during the conference.
Read more:
SA urged not to adopt American NHI model
White paper on NHI to be tabled 'shortly'
Healthcare Funders reassured about their role under NHI
The Health Professions Council of SA is in for a major shake-up
