A piece of something great- SA health system

By Amy-Jade Van der Vent (3863560)

Mosaic work is a unique piece of art that is created from assembling small pieces of colourful glass, stone or other materials. This is a perfect representation of the South African health system, as not all the pieces of the artwork is the same. This illustrates that every health care facility has its differences and that they are each presented with their own challenges, such as long waiting hours and unruly clients.

Mosaic is a kaleidoscope of colour and this signifies how South Africa, as a whole is such a diverse nation with people from many different religious, cultural and racial backgrounds. This art shows how each unique piece stands out and how we embrace our diverse nation. The health care facilities strive to treat people equally and to enable everyone to receive the same care, although this has not yet been established. The variation of colour within the artwork also signifies the different skill sets that each professional has, which when working together would ultimately provide better care for each patient. When looking at the art, we know that it would look strange if it only consisted of one piece but with all the pieces put together, it is indeed a master work of art. The same applies to each health service provided for all patients, as treatment is not just atomistic. The goal of all professionals is generally to provide the best possible care, thus treatment should be holistic in this regard, with incorporating multiple health professional disciplines. This is not always put into practise, as the number of health professionals in each facility are generally limited, the patient numbers are over ruled and consultation times are often crammed. This combination of factors that has been noted by many patients, especially those in the public sector, deems to stunt the holistic quality of care provided. The different pieces of the mosaic also signifies that each piece cannot stand alone, just as we need the entire South African government to make a difference within the health system.

Mosaic commonly provides the disabled people with the opportunity to compile this amazing work and this is a wonderful way to integrate them into the community, by having their artwork displayed publicly. It shows how our health system embraces people with disabilities, which formulate part of the Equity Act. Comprehensive care is provided under one roof and it operates as nurse driven facilities, especially in the public system, with skills trained in nursing art. In our country, the private and public health systems coexist in a ‘parallel’ manner. The public system provides for the vast majority of the population, although it is immensely underfunded and understaffed, it still provides the public with the basic health care that they need.

People deem to focus their attention on all the negative aspects of our South African health system and how dysfunctional it might seem, which is represented by the shattered pieces of tiles and glass used to make the mosaic art. Despite all of this, the country is still able to render high quality care (taking into account the limited funds) and leave patients feeling satisfied, as they will be in a better condition than when they would first enter the doors of the facility, which is of utmost importance.