policies and or guidelines on the role and functioning of HCs at different paces. This colloquium, therefore, comes at a critical juncture, where each province currently has their own policy and/or guidelines on HCs and to date, there has been no national forum bringing HC members from all provinces and both urban and rural contexts together. This Colloquium also responds to new policy developments such as the re-engineering of our Health System, the introduction of the National Health Insurance (NHI) and the Ideal Clinic programme. It was also held at an opportune time in the Western Cape Province, given that the Western Cape Health Facility Boards and Committees Act (No 4, 2016) has recently been enacted. It is hoped that the imminent implementation of the Act will live up to its expectations and support the Provincial Department of Health’s 2030 vision of being both accountable and responsive to the needs of the population. Background The National Colloquium on HCs in South Africa was held under the umbrella of the community systems strengthening project (CSS) as a project activity for strengthening HC’s in the Western Cape. The Colloquium is being funded by the European Union (EU) under its Socio-Economic Justice for All (SEJA) programme. The project is a collaboration between three partners the University of Cape Town (Health and Human Rights programme in the – School of Public Health and Family Medicine), Training for Transition, and Women on Farms Project, working with local communities in three sites. The overall objective of this project is to address the health consequences of socio-economic inequalities in 3 impoverished communities in the Western Cape by creating an enabling environment to support communities’ capacities to undertake advocacy and knowledge dissemination at local, national and regional levels. To strengthen community networks, linkages with local government, partnerships, and coordination of services and strengthen community activities
policies and or guidelines on the role and functioning of HCs at different paces. This colloquium, therefore, comes at a critical juncture, where each province currently has their own policy and/or guidelines on HCs and to date, there has been no national forum bringing HC members from all provinces and both urban and rural contexts together. This Colloquium also responds to new policy developments such as the re-engineering of our Health System, the introduction of the National Health Insurance (NHI) and the Ideal Clinic programme. It was also held at an opportune time in the Western Cape Province, given that the Western Cape Health Facility Boards and Committees Act (No 4, 2016) has recently been enacted. It is hoped that the imminent implementation of the Act will live up to its expectations and support the Provincial Department of Health’s 2030 vision of being both accountable and responsive to the needs of the population. Background The National Colloquium on HCs in South Africa was held under the umbrella of the community systems strengthening project (CSS) as a project activity for strengthening HC’s in the Western Cape. The Colloquium is being funded by the European Union (EU) under its Socio-Economic Justice for All (SEJA) programme. The project is a collaboration between three partners – the University of Cape Town (Health and Human Rights programme in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine), Training for Transition, and Women on Farms Project, working with local communities in three sites. The overall objective of this project is to address the health consequences of socio-economic inequalities in 3 impoverished communities in the Western Cape by creating an enabling environment to support communities’ capacities to undertake advocacy and knowledge dissemination at local, national and regional levels. To strengthen community networks, linkages with local government, partnerships, and coordination of services and strengthen community activities