MEDIA ADVISORY
Cape Town | The National Department of Health and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) will jointly hold a two-day Universal Health Coverage (UHC) National Dialogue. Under the theme: Harnessing Knowledge for the Design and Implementation of UHC, this gathering will take place on Thursday, 21 and Friday 22 November 2019 at the Southern Sun OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg.
The UHC, which South Africa is rapidly moving towards through the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI), represents one of the core objectives within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a journey which requires multi-stakeholder participation. The two-day dialogue, which will take a form of a symposium, plenaries and parallel sessions will be attended by health scientists/researchers, policy makers, national and provincial health department managers and practitioners to discuss the different facets of UHC including financing and accountability.
Led by the SAMRC President and CEO, Prof Glenda Gray, the dialogue will also consider and identify future research priorities for UHC and Health Systems Strengthening. The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize will on the last day highlight the key challenges and more importantly potential solutions to strengthen the South African health system, focusing mainly on reforming the District Health System, Leadership and Management.
The media is invited to a briefing as follows:
Date: Friday, 22 November 2019
Time: 15:00
Venue: Southern Sun OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg
Additional Info: See attached draft Scientific Programme
For media enquiries, contact:
Dr Alfred Thutloa - Head: Corporate and Marketing Communications
Tel: +27 74 885 7649
E-mail: Alfred.Thutloa@mrc.ac.za
For more information about the scientific programme, contact:
Dr Niresh Bhagwandin - Executive Manager: Strategic Research Initiatives
Tel: +27 82 468 8201
E-mail: Niresh.Bhagwandin@mrc.ac.za