The SANCDA’s founding partners ask the Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, to work together to solve the NCD epidemic sent 19 April 2023. Still awaiting a response. From 2013 until today, the SANCDA has never received a written response from its political leadership or executive officials.
Summary of contents
Annexure A: SANCDA members, allies, and partners.
Annexure B: List of policy requiring coordination and update by date and government Department
Annexure C: Contextualisaton of NDOH NCDS+ subprogramme allocations (1010-2026) with the Health Promotion Leavy and & HIV NPOs
Today is the health budget speech at 14:00, and in the interests of transparency and inclusivity, it would be great if we, the people, had a look at it beforehand. The budget speech is a version of the Annual Performance Plan (APP) for the financial year to 31 March 2023.
So we are already into the financial year, and the APP23 s already in progress. Having asked for said APP23 PDF, and scouring government and parliamentary websites, we are still in the dark. The closest we came to is a presentation from the health portfolio committee.
The most positive aspect for NCDs+ is that NCDs+ are still in stream, branch or programme 3 along with communicable diseases. At least it hasn’t be shoved back in Programme 4 Primary Health Care where it languished without food or water.
Mind you it is unlikely to change much since the Medium Term Strategic Framework 2019-2024 (MTSEF24) does not prioritise NCDs+ or allocate funding. Except in the most peripheral way. I call this the legacy of 3M era: MDGs, Motsoaledi and Mkhize. Too bad that we are in SDG times and need different action to achieve universal health coverage (UHC target 3.8) and there is more than the target 3.4to achieve action on NCDs.
The MTSF 2019-2024 – a lasting legacy courtesy of the 3M era, MDGs, Motsoaledi and Mkhize. The absence of national budgets for NCDs+ is not the only issue. At the last count maybe one province had a sort-of-NCDs plan. Clear budget line items are awaited as an evolutionary step like the missing link. It would would great to have progress at the implementation level and within National Health Insurance budgets.
Joy there is a change to the number of outcomes and outputs covering NCDs+ in the APP23. That means a lot without a programme budget and an implementation plan.
The date of the review is August 2018. This is the first version. Later, in November 2018, a second version was circulated.
The NCDs National Strategic Plan 2013-2017 is also known as the 2nd NCDs NSP. It was reviewed in 2018 by a WHO country office contracted consultant on behalf of the NDoH.
It is grandiosely called The “Implementation Review of the NCDs NSP 2013-2017” The title is a farce since this plan was never implemented and unfunded. The review is supposed to imply an authentic evaluation of the plan, processes and outcomes. It does nothing of the sort
The WHO consultant Mel Freeman was also the NDoH official responsible for the development and implementation of the 2nd NCDs NSP during his tenure as Chief Director, NCDs
