Framework and strategy for disability and rehabilitation in south africa 2015/16 – 2020/2021

FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY FOR DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION SERVICES

IN SOUTH AFRICA
2015 - 2020

TABLE OF CONTENT

FOREWORD BY THE MINISTER 2

MESSAGE OF SUPPORT FROM THE DEPUTY MINISTER 4

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL 5

1.INTRODUCTION 6

2.CONTEXT 6

3.LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FRAMEWORK 11

4.POLICY FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY ON DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION 11

5.APPROACH 12

STRATEGIC PLAN 2015 - 2020 17

REFERENCES 30

LIST OF APPENDICES

LIST OF FIGURES:

LIST OF TABLES

FOREWORD BY THE MINISTER

The transformation of the South African health system towards universal coverage is a critical step in overcoming the deep inequities in our society. People with disability are recognised as a previously disadvantaged group, and the health system has a crucial role to play in reducing the number of people who sustain impairments, improving their access to healthcare, and supporting all to live long and healthy lives.
Rehabilitation is recognised as an important component in the continuum of care and is essential if quality of life is to be achieved. A transforming health service, including the Primary Health Care Re-engineering, makes this the perfect moment to reconfigure rehabilitation as an integral part of health services across all programmes, within a system that provides services as close as possible to where people live and work.
Disability is known to have far-reaching effects on the health and socio-economic status of households and communities, and people with disability continue to be disproportionately represented among the extremely poor. As South Africa works towards reducing inequality and eliminating absolute poverty¹, rehabilitation has a crucial role to play in translating health gains made by mainstream clinical services into people’s capacity to live socially and economically productive lives, thus interrupting the vicious cycle of poverty and ill-health.
This Framework and Strategy for Disability and Rehabilitation Services in South Africa 2015 was compiled in consultation with people with disabilities, the Task Team on Disability, professional rehabilitation service providers, academics, and other key stakeholders in the field. It offers a blueprint for how rehabilitation services within Primary Health Care Re-engineering reflects commitment to an increasingly equitable and inclusive society, which will ensure “a long and healthy life for all South Africans”.
DR PA MOTSOALEDI, MP

MINISTER OF HEALTH

MESSAGE OF SUPPORT FROM THE DEPUTY MINISTER

This document signals the Department's commitment to addressing issues of people with disability. While much of the prevention of disability rests in the social determinants of health, there is much required from the health sector in terms of prevention as well as rehabilitation and access to health services.

The Framework and Strategy on Disability and Rehabilitation envisages disability and rehabilitation services at all levels of care; from home to tertiary services. The role that individuals with disabilities and their families play is recognized and valued as the inherent knowledge that those with disabilities have forms part of the intervention plans. The framework reinforces the dictim “nothing about us without us”.

South Africa embraces the human rights culture as espoused in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In line with this we commit to a package of services that we will make available to all affected by disability. All reasonable measures will be taken so that services are made available at the closest point to where people live. We also commit ourselves to provide services in the shortest possible time. Article 26 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities enjoins us to organize, strengthen and extend comprehensive habilitation and rehabilitation services and programmes, and through this document we intend to achieve these ideals.
DR J PHAAHLA

DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL

Given government’s commitment to equity and non-discrimination, including people with disabilities, the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi appointed a Task Team to develop a Framework and Strategy for Disability and Rehabilitation in 2013. This Team represented a wide range of stakeholders, including but not limited to Disabled People's Organizations, universities, professional organizations, provincial representatives, private sector and other government departments. On behalf of the Department I would like to express my gratitude to all the members of the Task Team for the dedication they put into doing this work - especially as this work had to be fitted into already busy schedules.
I also want to thank other contributors to this document, among them Dr Pamela McClaren from Disability Action Research Team and Fiorenza Monticelli from the Health Systems Trust for managing the final inputs from consulted contributors. I am confident that this document will put the Department on the right course to improve our services to persons with disabilities. We will endeavour to implement this framework and strategy to ensure that services for persons with disabilities are available at all the levels of health care.
MS MP MOTSOSO

DIRECTOR-GENERAL: HEALTH