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Parliamentary Functions and Reforms and their Application in Promoting Health Equity in Southern Africa

Author: M Mataure
Date: 2003
Size: 28 pages (376 KB)

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Summary

Increasing public awareness of rights in Southern African countries has placed responsibility on parliaments to be more effective. How have they gone about reforming? This paper by the Training and Research Support Centre in Harare highlights the effectiveness of the Committee system in strengthening the parliamentary role in the health sector. In particular the committee system has provided a vehicle for involving stakeholders in parliamentary oversight, legislative and representational roles and in drawing technical and financial resources to support more work by Parliament.

In response to demands by the public, parliaments have been called upon to be more effective in carrying out their functions. Beginning with the Parliament of South Africa in 1994, parliaments have instituted changes in their Committee systems and in the legislative process to allow greater participation from the public. In seeking to promote health equity and public health, legislatures have sought ways to engage with relevant stakeholders and other organisations in order to broaden their knowledge base. The work of the Portfolio Committees responsible for Health in the Parliaments of South Africa and Zimbabwe illustrates the effectiveness of committees. The portfolio Committees have managed to carry out the oversight function through their investigations and have influenced the legislative process. Committees have been given powers to study the bills, conduct public hearings and engage experts on any subject matter under investigation and to support amendments to bills in order to promote health equity.

There is evidence that involving the Portfolio Committees in the budget process has been beneficial to both the electorate and the Executive.

• Public hearings that are held with stakeholders take stock of what progress has been made and help in setting up new priority areas.
• During the era of reforms Parliaments and their committees have established good working relationships with the public, among NGOs and other organisations.
• This interaction has enhanced cross-fertilisation of ideas and built stronger legislatures. Such interaction is very crucial in tackling the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
• The efforts of the Botswana Parliament’s HIV/AIDS Committee exemplify this positive role. The Committee sensitises the public, promotes and leads campaigns against the spread of HIV/AIDS in partnership with the National AIDS Council.
• Members of Parliament make use of other tools such as motions and questions to ensure that constituents’ needs are addressed.
• It is also the duty of parliamentarians to ensure that international treaties serve the interests of the people.

A number of opportunities for Parliaments to promote health equity have been identified:

• Parliaments are in charge of their rules, which they can revise to become more efficient and effective when they commit themselves to reforms.
• There is a vibrant civil society that raises questions and compels Parliaments to address issues.
• Parliaments now offer space for stakeholder input through the use of public hearings, Parliament constituency centres and on-site visits.
• Parliaments provide an opportunity for pro-equity legislative analysis by allowing participation by stakeholders in bill analysis during Committee scrutiny.
• Networking between Parliaments and with NGOs provides useful information and technical advice which Parliaments can use to carry out its functions effectively.
• Constraints include the economic situation; lack of information on the part of Parliament; limited public participation and the fact that recommendations made by Parliament are not binding on the executive and are not always implemented.

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Source: Mataure, M., 2003, Parliamentary Functions and Reforms and their Application in Promoting Health Equity in Southern Africa, EQUINET Disucssion Paper no. 16, The Network on Equity in Health in Southern Africa (EQUINET), South Africa
Author: Training and Research Support Centre (TARSC), http://www.tarsc.org/