Election Promises: Inkatha Freedom Party

Heres what Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) says about health issues.

The IFP says it agrees with universal health coverage ( which gives everyone access to the same basic health services, regardless of whether they can afford to pay for it ) but will review the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme to address its funding model while clearly defining the role of public and private health service providers and that of medical aid schemes. The IFP voted against the Bill in the National Assembly (in June last year). The NHI Bill was passed by Parliament in December.

The national health department has already started to appoint NHI staff. In 2022, the minister of public service and administration approved positions for 44 technical experts who would advise the NHI and heads for four of the five chief directorates were appointed by July 2023 .

Universal health coverage is a 2030 sustainable development goal .

On health facilities and services the party says the following:

• There will be at least one regional hospital in each of the 52 health districts and at least one tertiary hospital in each province, and clinic services will be expanded in disadvantaged communities. (Patients are referred from regional hospitals to tertiary hospitals for more specialised services. Our count shows that by 2019 , there were 48 regional hospitals in South Africa, but not necessarily one in each district.)
• An IFP government will ensure that primary healthcare is delivered at the district level and it will give district managers and the people in charge of a healthcare facility (such as a hospital) the power to make more decisions without first having to get approval from the provincial health department. (At the moment, most big decisions made by hospitals can only be made if provincial health departments approve them.)
• They will make medicine cheaper and give people access to complementary and traditional medicines. The party says it will invoice countries whose citizens are in South Africa illegally and are using the countrys overstretched health services.
• There will be more support for mental health issues.
• A sanitary dignity programme will be available for all needy schoolgirls. (This programme, started in 2019, hands out sanitary pads to schoolgirls and helps with menstrual education so that they dont have to miss school.)

About health workers the party says the following:

• It will make working conditions for healthcare workers better and fix understaffing, poor leadership and infrastructure issues.
• Health staff shortages will be dealt with by employing trained, unemployed healthcare providers. They promise better support and pay for doctors and nurses.

The IFP manifesto doesnt say how it will deal with climate change specifically, although it does mention that the world faces a triple environmental crisis in biodiversity loss, climate disruption and increasing pollution.

The party mentions renewable power sources only as part of their plan to improve the countrys electricity provision. An IFP government will promote wind turbines and solar power for private investment in power generation and grid supply. They will install solar panels in all new government houses and support hydroelectric power.

An IFP government will maintain coal production for energy and chemical products, keep nuclear energy under state control and favour gas for domestic use. The manifesto doesnt take into account the countrys international commitments to slow global warming (such as, for example, the Paris Agreement ; under this agreement South Africa pledged to work towards achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050.) The effects of climate change a hotter Earth and more droughts and storms will increase lung diseases , make HIV and TB spread faster , and allow diseases transmitted by insect hosts, such as malaria, to spread to countries where theyve never been experienced before .

The IFP manifesto links health to nutrition. The party promises people will have access to food and will exempt all staple foods in poor households from VAT.

The party will fix child malnutrition by supporting families who cant afford to feed their vulnerable children through a food voucher system.

In 2022, one in five people in the country didnt have enough food, and 12.9% reported going hungry .

An IFP government will roll out free scholar transport and nutrition schemes in all public schools. It doesnt mention how they will pay for the additional expense.

An IFP government promises to put the elderly and vulnerable children first. They will review all grant categories and increase the old age and child su