72972_284673924955783_1235600016_n — The National Health Assembly leads into the People’s Health Assembly

Extraordinary opportunity for South African patient advocates to participate in the South African National Health Assembly (NHA) in alliance with the National Health Insurance Coalition. The People’s Health Movement (PHM) is hosting the event. The importance is linked to the National Department of Health’s proposed a 10-point plan to transform the health system and this includes the National Health Insurance (NHI). The NHI is in need of civil society engagement and citizen participation. This is a great opportunity to participate and learn and engage around how this process will affect you, your patients and our health system. It is also an ideal space to make inputs into how you see the NHI working and to place your best ideas on the table for discussion. Registration form National Health Assembly 5-9 July 2012 NB THESE DATES INCLUDES THE GLOBAL, PEOPLE’S HEALTH ASSEMBLY, A SERIES OF HEALTH FOCUSED EVENTS!!!.

PHM will facilitate this engagement and re-frame the mainstream discussion around the NHI while working to achieve universal coverage in South Africa.

Who will be attending: Participants will include grassroots activists from communities around South Africa, policy makers, interested citizens, government officials and interested delegates from PHM Global countries (such as India, Thailand and Latin America) who are interested in taking part in the NHA.

WHEN: 5th July 08:30 -18:30 (Thursday) and 6th July 08:30 -13:00pm (Friday).

WHERE: University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Cape Town.

WHAT: The upcoming National Health Assembly will play a catalytic role in rebuilding, re-energizing and unifying health civil society in South Africa and the broader global health community. Using the proposed NHI as a platform, the National Health Assembly is thus an ideal event from which to build momentum and mobilise civil society engagement in the NHI process and towards universal coverage in South Africa.

Overall objective of the NHA is to mobilise a mass movement promoting the right to health for all and a progressive NHI .

Specific objectives are to:

Agree on an agenda and priorities for building universal access to quality health care among health activists in South Africa;
Build a coalition of health and social justice organisations that can work together towards realizing this agenda;
Plan a campaign to realize the agenda and priorities agreed by the NHA
Assess plans for the NHI and agree on a way forward to ensure that it realises the fundamental rights to health of all through a progressive Family Medicine approach;
Examine specific health issues in SA, including primary care, disability, sexual & reproductive justice and others;
Consider ways to assist with the implementation of other aspects of the government’s 10-point plan with particular attention to those areas where civil society has key roles to play.

Workshop & Plenary sessions:

Starts each day 2 hour plenary. Participants can select which sessions they would like to attend under the below themes. These will be facilitated by PHM but hosted by partner organisations and groups involved in the NHI Coalition.

National Health Assembly Themes:

Social determinants of health ( e.g. food, sanitation, water, work conditions)
Equitable and comprehensive health care
Political and economic implications for health system transformation

HOW: To register, complete attached registration form and send to coordinator@phmsouthafrica.org before July 5^th, 2012.

Registration Fees (Includes Access to Sessions, AGM & Lunch for 2 days):

Student/Unemployed Rate: R60.00

Standard Fee: R100.00

Student Fee: R60

Tag: NHA