The importance of healthcare quality for everyone

AS someone who's spent years immersed in the world of consumer advocacy and healthcare communication, I’ve come to appreciate the power of data, not just as numbers on a page, but as stories about real people navigating our health system. The latest Health Quality Assessment (HQA) results for 2024 offer exactly that: a snapshot of how South Africa’s private healthcare sector is performing when it comes to prevention, early detection, and chronic disease management.

- DIEKETSENG MALEKE

These findings aren’t just for policymakers or scheme executives. They're for all of us, the parents booking vaccinations, the young professionals managing chronic conditions, the daughters urging their mothers to go for mammograms. Because behind every percentage point is a person, and behind every missed screening is a missed opportunity to intervene early. Let’s start with something close to home: diabetes care. HbAIc testing, which tracks average blood sugar levels over three months, is critical for managing diabetes and preventing complications like kidney failure, heart disease, and stroke. The data shows that since 2010, coverage for at least one test per year has climbed impressively, with some schemes nearing 90%. But progress, but still far from ideal. My own mother didn’t know her flu shot was covered until I told her. That's the thing, benefits mean nothing if people don’t know they exist. We need to make preventive care part of