CATHCA is the Roman Catholic network of Health Care Institutions and Health Care Providers, which exist in all nine Provinces of South Africa. It is an Associate Body of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, and is the official voice of Catholic Health Care in South Africa.

In July 2013, CATHCA initiated a two-day workshop to address serious concerns in this sector on the future of Catholic health care in South Africa. It was attended by Provincial Leaders and representatives from twenty-six religious nursing congregations – among them the Mercy Sisters – and other Church bodies.

Catholic Health Care Workshop held on 18th and 19th July, 2013 in Durban

Over the past six months, the government has closed one Catholic clinic in the KwaZulu Natal Province and two more are due to close in the near future. These clinics have to date been supported by government funds which have been withdrawn or where the shortfall has been unsustainable. St. Mary’s, a training hospital run by the Sisters of the Precious Blood, is also experiencing a severe funding shortage. It was decided at a meeting of the KwaZulu Natal regional Catholic health care committee that the Church needed to revisit its reasons for staying in health care in South Africa, to discern whether these were still valid and, if so, to consider what direction it should take in future.

The Government seems to be under the impression that the Church has sufficient funds from overseas to supplement any funding shortfall. As we know this is not the case. The KZN Department of Health’s budget has been cut and this has been passed on to our clinics and hospitals. Should other provinces follow KZN’s example and cut funds, we will very soon lose all our clinics. One funder pointed out that in losing our health care institutional network we would lose the capacity to assist with any new issues that might arise in years to come.  There is ample evidence that communities prefer Catholic health care because it is holistic in nature. “You treat us as human beings”.

The participants agreed that the reasons for the Church’s work in health care remain valid. These reasons are:

·  Catholic health care represents the Church’s response to Christ’s call to serve the poor and sick, and in doing so incorporates many of the ethical and moral values of the Church’s social teaching.

·   To do nothing at this point and just allow Catholic facilities to close would be a betrayal of the communities we serve, of the donors who have supported our work over the years and of our own health care workers.

·    Among our assets are trained workers and volunteers, land and buildings, health equipment, extensive experience, especially in rural health, a high-quality holistic health service developed over many years, strong spiritual values.

·    Catholic health care can be the ‘leaven’ in society, to lift the provision of health services and encourage spiritual, psychological health care.

Those attending the workshop also came to an agreement on the future direction that could be taken by all in Catholic health care in South Africa.

·    We need to consolidate and integrate our existing and future health care initiatives e.g. two or more religious congregations might work together and pool their resources.

·    Catholic health care should go back to its roots – before the days of big funders and programmes.

·     It should be both mobile and flexible – able to serve where the need is. We should consider active parish and diocesan health ministries, with outreach programmes into poor communities.

·   Our skilled health professionals could mentor and train others, especially in government.

·     We need to consider opening Catholic nursing colleges, to train nurses to provide holistic and dedicated care.

·   Catholic health care should demonstrate transparency and accountability in all its work.

I left the workshop feeling encouraged and hopeful for the future. All of us are convinced that our work in the clinics and hospitals is needed and is adding value to the health care of the whole nation.

Christine Jacob rsm
South African Province