Mpumalanga looks to tech advances to improve healthcare

Mabuza released a press statement on Tuesday, 9 April 2013, following his recent visit to South Korea, where he was shown how Samsung uses technology to provide the best health services at 10 Samsung Medical Centres operated in Seoul.

"The province's public health sector had a package of challenges which needed urgent solutions," said Mabuza.

An issue of primary concern for the premier was improving staff attitudes.

"... We first need to ... get people motivated, and then we can subsequently and successfully manage our health care facilities," said Mabuza.

Mabuza said as the premier of the province, he believed there was great room for improvement in the health services rendered to the people.

"It has dismally gone down. We would therefore consider partnering with Samsung in the provision of health care. We want to spend our energies in trying to fix problems on our health and education systems.

"We are quite happy about the products Samsung has presented to us and we are convinced about the quality of the services. We definitely want the company to have its presence in Mpumalanga," he said.

Mabuza said Samsung further committed a state of the art, solar-powered mobile clinic for Mpumalanga, set to be launched by May this year.

"By being open and allowing Samsung to put one or two hospitals in Mpumalanga, [this] could assist the provincial government to deliver better health care services," Mabuza said.

Mabuza's delegation to South Korea included the MECs of Education Regina Mhaule, Community Safety, Security and Liaison Vusi Shongwe and Provincial Director-General Dr Nonhlanhla Mkhize.

Mabuza's spokesperson Zibonele Mncwango said the provincial government was considering partnering with Samsung and other companies on areas of education, health, safety, security, e-government, and on information communication technology.

"The delegation visited a number of public and private facilities operated by the company in Seoul and identified possible areas for cooperation with an effort to benefit the citizens of Mpumalanga.

"The provincial government has an interest in the company's products and solutions, which are believed could unlock a number of challenges and assist with effective service delivery," said Mncwango.

He said the delegation first visited the Samsung-supported Hyowon Elementary School in Seoul, where they shared knowledge on the utilisation of technology in preparing the learners for higher educational grades.

"The delegation was told that every school in Seoul had a computer and a high speed internet connection and their textbooks had been digitised. According to information provided, some countries were already (improving) their education system," added Mncwango.

The premier has tasked both MECs who accompanied him to South Korea to start working on processes of developing a memorandum of understanding with Samsung.

He has also lobbied the company to have another assembly plant in Mpumalanga, as it was currently assembling only in Gauteng.