Cluster Non-Personal Health Services

Functions

1. Facilitate Occupational Health for the Provinces.
2. Finalise transformation of Environmental Health Human Resource Development.
3. Audit extend coverage of workplace Occupational Health.
4. Development of Health and Safety risk assessment tool for risk management.
5. Rationalisation of Occupational Health competencies.
6. In collaboration with SADC Health Sector define implementation strategies for regional Occupational Health priority.
7. Finalisation of the tobacco regulation for the promulgation of Tobacco Amendment Act.

• Environmental Health
  Key Areas of Activities

1. Port Health
   Surveillance on people and goods coming into and going out of the country is maintained at designated ports of entry, to ensure that the public is protected against international spread of diseases. This is done under the International Health Regulations Act, 1974. Standard Operating Procedures have been developed to assist Port health officers.
   
   
2. Management of Hazardous Substances.
   The Hazardous Substances Act, 1973 is implemented, through Provincial and local authorities for the department of Health. This is to ensure sound management of hazardous chemical Substances. This ranged from registration, manufacture, storage, use and final disposal.
   
   There are programmes such Safety Towards Our People(STOP) aimed at educating and improving awareness among the people regarding chemical
   
   
3. Health Care Waste.
   The Department has to ensure that waste, in particular infectious health care waste is properly managed by all generators. Regulations to ensure proper management for this waste are being developed. Small scale incinerators have been recommended for remote rural areas.
   
   
4. Reviewing and Developing of Regulations.
   
   
   1. Regulations for the Control of Environmental Conditions Constituting a Danger to Health and Nuisance have been developed and are at a final stage. This identify all activities that pose as potential risk to life and environment. Health care waste has been identified as one of those activities and regulations have been developed to have it properly managed from generation to final disposal.
   2. Laundry Processes and Processes and Management.
      Regulations have been developed to regulate this industry in particular use of chemical substances and to reduce the probability of cross infection. These institutions are utilised by the both public and health Care facilities.
      
      
5. Water Quality Monitoring
   The Department has developed a series of Water Quality Guides to ensure common standard and practice throughout the country. Three Water Quality Guides - Assessment, Analytical and Sampling Guides have been completed. Two Guides will be finalised by 2001. This will assist Provinces in the Water Monitoring Programmes.

• Directorate: Health Promotion

Goal
To provide leadership and guidance to the Department of Health in its efforts to promote health and prevent disease of all especially the rural and historically disadvantaged communities.

Aim
To develop guidelines for effective educational, social and environmental interventions and foster community participation through a settings approach which includes schools, workplaces, health services and community settings.

Objectives

1. To promote health and facilitate environments conducive to health in school, work, community and health service settings;
2. To develop guidelines and policies to strengthen health promotion practice
3. To promote an inter-sectoral approach to promoting health;
4. To facilitate and support the planning, co-ordination and implementation of health promotion programmes within the National Department of Health in line with the Strategic Framework;
5. To provide guidance, support and build capacity for health promotion activities in the provinces;
6. To use a range of communication strategies to promote health through national and local media channels
7. To ensure integration of health promotion into comprehensive Primary Health Care Services

• Compensation Commissioner for Occupational Diseases

The C.C.O.D is responsible for compensating miners and ex-miners who have contracted lung related diseases as a consequence of risk work in mines and works.

The Compensation functions is regulated by the Occupational Diseases in Mines and Works Act, 1973 (Act 78 of 1973 as amended).

The office receive the certificates of benefit medical examination from the Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases from which payment is processed as per finding of the Certification Committee.

• Medical Bureau for Occupational Diseases

Key Activities

1. Provision of benefit medical examination to retired mine workers
   
   
   • Marketing the services to client to utilize the services.
   • Negotiating with suppliers of services in the Provinces (GP's Public District and Private hospitals
     
     
2. Certification/evaluation of the medical records
   
   
   • Search for medical officers to sit in the committee (DOH, Union and employee representatives)and employ them
   • Actively manage the committees 
   • Process the files for the committee
   • Generate the findings to the owners
     
     
3. Annual report
   
   
   • Collate and generate information for annual report to be tabled in Parliament
   • Hire a print company to print
   • Submit to Minister for approval before tabling
     
     
4. Integrated IT system
   
   
   • Project management of the tender
   • Tender 
   • User cases and activity diagrams

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