Health
All people need to live healthy lives. As such all people at one time or another need health services / medical attention. These services have become prohibitively expensive over the past decade, and quality services are often out of the price range of most of the people in SA.
   Government has tried to redress a part of this situation by enforcing price control of medicines as dispensed by the medical profession in SA. This proved to be an unacceptable and abysmal failure, causing the loss of jobs and closure of much needed medical outlets. Such irresponsible legislating should have no place in our country.
   It must be acknowledged that society operates in different tiers or classes, whether formal or informal. These classes are not necessarily racially ordered, but they do distinguish one person from another. The president of the country does not sleep next to the homeless person in the street, because the president is in a different class. Likewise the street-sweeper ordinarily would not live next to the minister of finance, but he/she could if he/she can afford to.
   Similarly in our society, there will be some people who can and will pay a certain price for medication / medical treatment and others who cannot and will not pay that price. Government must not make wild assumptions and try to regulate everything at once, as every socio-economic situation in our country is far more complex than a simple aggregation of people, prices and markets.
   The solution to the medical pricing problem in SA probably lies somewhere between government's first abortive attempt at regulation and a multiple-pronged approach where sectors of the medical industry are allowed to co-exist according to supply and demand of the people of SA. Just like you cannot force a poor person to go to a pharmacy to pay R300 for some tablets, you cannot force a wealthy person to stand in a queue 200 people long to go buy the same tablets for R50 at a governmental clinic if she prefers to walk into the pharmacy, pay her R300 and walk out in 5 minutes. This is the way society works and government has to be very careful not to destroy structures that work and that the people want.
   At the same time, the SABP acknowledges that the poor need improved access to medicine and medical care, and we will use a comprehensive search-and-sort ("SAS") approach to the entire health system in SA where every aspect is gone over with a fine-toothed comb for productivity, delivery and pricing. Adjustments, expansion and structural changes in provision and delivery will only be implemented in conjunction with adequate input from all players, including NGOs, state and private hospitals.
   Currently SA does not have enough doctors, nurses, para-medical staff, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies to give a good and thorough service to all the people. The SABP will ensure that more doctors and nurses qualify in SA and return / immigrate to SA in order to meet the local demand, and that more medical outlets, like clinics, will be built and run throughout SA where needed. Better medical staff training and service provision will also be introduced.
   Medical Aid Schemes (MASs) are a primary means for making healthcare in SA more affordable. Unfortunately MASs have been allowed to cover and fund, in some instances, grossly overpriced interventions and procedures. This must be examined and reviewed to ensure that MASs are not being used to only service and enrich the elite. No blanket restructuring to service all people should be attempted, as this would prove more fateful than the medicine pricing debacle referred to above, but certain tiering and restructuring may be necessary and undertaken in order to promote coverage of a maximum number of people. This will no doubt include further subsidy and supplement by government, and will be rewarded to those exhibiting a socially-responsible approach to their family planning and health needs.
   Moderate and chronic obesity is a major factor in the development of health problems which in one way or another puts a demand on the health infrastructure put in place by and funded by taxpayers' money. People must be encouraged to achieve their goal weight and to become and stay physically active, thus minimising the risk of cardio-vascular failure, and allowing them to play a longer and more active role in society.
   Smoking is known to cause serious medical problems for smokers and passive smokers. Smokers are encouraged to quit smoking. It is not as difficult as some make out and many smokers have stopped the habit. Accordingly, for the sake of the health of all men, women and children, smoking in public will not be allowed. Citizens are encouraged to plan their daily and smoking activities accordingly.
   As smokers do not have a right to pollute the air for non-smokers, spitters do not have the right to expose others to their oral excrement. Diseases, such as TB, are spread by human spit. Accordingly, spitting laws will be introduced and enforced by spot fines.
   Suitable antiretroviral treatment (ART) which includes medication and diet regimens must be supplied to all HIV-positive people in SA. HIV testing and HIV/AIDS treatment must be made affordable countrywide and will be subsidised where necessary. Practical HIV prevention / treatment programmes concentrating on lifestyle and diet will be rolled-out countrywide using all available resources including NGOs.
   South Africa has far too few medical emergency facilities. Arrangements and structural changes must be brought about so that day hospitals / clinics can remain open 24 hours a day and be properly staffed and equipped to handle emergencies. All hospitals / clinics should have at least 1 doctor on duty during the week and at least 2 on weekends. Enough hospitals / clinics and ambulances must be available to adequately service all communities. Where necessary, more hospitals / clinics must be built and commissioned. Broken ambulances must be fixed and put back into service. Currently observed neglect and shortages in this area are inexcusable.
   In the health sector, making a reasonable profit by suppliers of medicine and service is acceptable. Making unreasonably high profits must be guarded against, as this exacerbates inflation and puts medical treatment out of the reach of most.