By Faith Mazibuko
Government services matter most when they are felt by the people they are made to serve. This is what I have been reminded of during our Siyabaphilisa Outreach Programs where we are taking healthcare services directly into communities. When government goes to where people live, it becomes possible not only to deliver services, but to see first-hand what is working, what is changing and where more work is needed.
The 2025/26 Annual Report provides an important account of that work. It shows a health department that is steadily translating commitments made through the Annual Performance Plan, Budget Vote, State of the Province Address and Gauteng’s G13 priorities into practical interventions.
One of our commitments has been to build a capable and responsive health workforce.
Accordingly ,In emergency medical services, the number of emergency medical care students enrolled for further education and training increased from 79 in 2024/25 to 117 in 2025/26, against an annual target of 90. These are not simply numbers but represent investment in the people who will be there when Gauteng residents need emergency care most.
We have also continued to work towards a healthcare system that is more accessible and responsive to patients. Patient experience of care improved from 85% to 86%, while Ideal Clinic performance increased from 92% to 94.4%. We also maintained 40 facilities providing 24-hour emergency services, bringing essential care closer to communities when they need it.
Modernising our health system is another important part of this journey. During 2025/26, 15 hospitals digitised paper based patient files, while three hospitals implemented integrated health information systems. This is about more than technology. It is about giving health workers better access to information and creating a system that can respond more efficiently to patients.
Perhaps one of the examples of turning commitment into action is our response to the cancer treatment backlog. Through additional resources and a partnership with the private sector, 1,076 patients completed radiation oncology treatment across public and private institutions, while the cancer treatment backlog was reduced to fewer than 150 patients by the end of the financial year. This is what partnership and focused intervention can achieve when the priority is getting patients the treatment they need.
The Department completed all seven capital infrastructure projects targeted for 2025/26, including refurbishment and critical repair projects at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital, Helen Joseph Hospital, Steve Biko Academic Hospital and Tembisa Hospital. These investments improve the environment in which healthcare is delivered and strengthen the capacity of our facilities.
It must be emphasised that the Annual Report is not a declaration that our work is finished, however, It is a measure of progress and a reminder of the work that remains.
This is why Siyabaphilisa is an important tool to provide services to communities. During these programs, we have witnessed children who have not received all their vaccinations and not seen by clinicians for dental health management. These encounters are a reminder that access must mean more than having a facility somewhere in the province, it must also mean reaching people early enough to prevent illness.
This concern is particularly important as the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reports that the 2026 rotavirus season is ongoing, with a sharp increase in cases in Tshwane and reported fatality. Vaccination remains an important protection for children against severe disease like rotavirus.
Our responsibility, therefore, is to keep taking services to communities while encouraging parents and caregivers to make use of them. This is at the heart of our priorities which calls on us to improve services at hospitals and clinics while expanding access to quality healthcare. Siyabaphilisa gives practical meaning to that commitment. We are not waiting for people to find the health system; we are taking the health system to them.
The 2025/26 Annual Report tells us where we have made progress. Siyabaphilisa reminds us of who that progress is ultimately for.
The measure of a health system is not only what we build, report or achieve on paper. It is whether a child is protected, whether a patient receives treatment, whether an emergency response arrives when it is needed and whether every resident can access quality healthcare. That is the Department we are building. #AsibeHealthyGP
Faith Mazibuko is Gauteng’s MEC for Health and Wellness.
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