SIEMENS

When Lynda Bleazard walks along the corridor in the basement of the Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg, she is greeted by women who queue in a long line, waiting for their turn to enter the ward and visit their children. The women, some black, some white, some wearing traditional Indian dress, wave their hands and smile at Lynda, somewhat nervously though.

Before dedicating her energy to the Walter Sisulu Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Centre for Africa at Netcare hospitals, Lynda was a nurse in pediatric cardiac intensive care units for over 20 years. Without the Walter Sisulu Initiative, the women know that many of their children might be dead by now or remain severely sick, like six-year-old Linus, who has four lesions in his heart and dozes in one of the beds in the ward. In the pediatric cardiology unit at Sunninghill, private patients are treated alongside public sector patients admitted under the Walter Sisulu Initiative. They get the same level of care and the same modern equipment, such as ultrasound systems from Siemens.

This exceptional project helps to save the hearts and lives of the youngest. The pediatric cardiology unit at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital is made up of 16 beds in which children and babies, some just a few weeks old, fight for survival. Many patients were born prematurely and have deformities of their hearts. Nevertheless, the procedures that save their lives often amount to nothing more than standard surgery. But for many South African parents private insurance is unaffordable. And for many of their children, public health system waiting times of up to 30 months are longer than they are likely to survive.

The patron of the Walter Sisulu Initiative is former South African president Nelson Mandela. The Initiative is run by Lynda Bleazard. “In rural areas, these children do not get diagnosed. They simply die,” she explains. The reason is that many clinics in such areas lack experienced staff. In other African countries the situation is even worse, which is why the Walter Sisulu Initiative has started training doctors from other parts of the continent, such as Ghana. After their stay in South Africa, doctors take new knowledge back to their home countries. More than 350 children have already been treated through the project, but around 3,000 more are on waiting lists for heart surgery in South Africa's public health system. The Walter Sisulu Initiative can ease that backlog a little bit by drawing on the private sector.

“This is a perfect example for the potential of public-private partnerships in the South African healthcare sector,” explains Victor Litlhakanyane, Executive Director for Stakeholder Relations at Netcare, the largest private healthcare provider in the country. “There are capabilities in the private sector that can supplement the public sector. We really have to overcome the division in healthcare in this country. South Africa needs a system that caters to all people with quality care.” The strain on the overall system is not likely to be eased any time soon. Birth rates are stable, immigrants keep pouring in, and the endemic HIV/AIDS epidemic increases the need for diagnostics and expensive treatment.

South Africa is debating the introduction of compulsory health insurance, with contributions from taxpayer money making up for all those who cannot afford their own contributions. While only about 20 % of the population receives medical care in the private sector at the moment, under a new program, everybody should have access to high quality healthcare. Private healthcare providers could provide services in the context of the new system, bringing some of the patients who do not have private insurance coverage into private hospitals and billing the public funding system at predefined rates.