Development of a health technology policy framework for sustainable health care services in South Africa

The challenge in the design of a national health technology policy framework lies in developing techniques of encouraging the creation of new technologies within the country, while at the same time importing technologies needed for sustainability of health care services. The pursuit of these apparently contradictory objectives demands a delicate balance between national health needs, which require the acquisition of technology, and the exigency for a rational health system development plan, based on the principles of optimizing the use of technologies already existing in the country. The goal of the framework is to guide rational utilization of technology in health care services, while improving access; quality and cost-efficiency of public health care services. This paper discusses health technology profile and management in South Africa's public health system and proposes a National Health Technology Policy Framework for long-term improvement of cost-effectiveness and efficiency of public health care services.