Impact of mobile health services within Ilembe Health District : a Batho Pele perspective.

Abstract

With the launch of a representative government in 1994, the service transformation agenda highlighted the need for equitable and accessible services. The locus and focus of Primary Health Care lies in ensuring that preventative and promotive health services is available and universally accessible to the citizenry as, their initial level of interaction with the health care system and as close as possible to the place where the people reside and work. The Public Service, with particular emphasis on the Department of Health and Ilembe Health District is committed in ensuring that the Batho Pele (People First) Principles are practised in order to provide an acceptable high quality health service delivery. This research study aimed to analyse the impact of mobile health services within the context of the Batho Pele perspective in Ilembe Health District. Mobile health services are part of outreach viz community oriented Primary Health Care which aims to provide the package of health care services in the study area of rural Maphumulo sub-district. The literature review described the various prescripts and contextualised Public Health initiatives within a policy dimension and the Public Administration domain. The Negotiated Service Delivery Agreement of the Department of Health, the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals post-2015 provide the framework upon which the strategic planning processes are based. The KwaZulu-Natal Citizens’ Charter and the Patients’ Rights Charter advances the directives as depicted in the White Paper for the Transformation of Public Services (Batho Pele Principles). These are the principles upon which clients levels of satisfaction with health services rendered to them are evaluated though exit interviews. The empirical study which included the administration of questionnaires to management, health care workers and clients within Maphumulo sub-district: Ilembe Health District was conducted. Analysis of data illustrate that health care workers are courteous and provide the necessary information to clients despite working under resource and infrastructure constraints. The research undertaking culminates with the key findings of the study. Quality Improvement programmes, integrated planning and revitalisation of the Batho Pele programme through training are a few recommendations for addressing some of the key findings of the study in order to improve service delivery through mobile health services.