Campaign for strong community voices in health governance

The People’s Health Movement South Africa (PHM-SA) works with other Civil Society Organisations to strengthen Health Committees (HCs) as vehicles for Community Voice in the health system. Health Committees are statutory structures created by the National Health Act, but which lack a clear mandate because the roles and functions are left to provincial legislation. As a result, there is wide variation in what Health Committees do, what they are empowered to do and how the health system treats them.

Together with clinic committees nationally, PHM SA runs a campaign to demand the Minister of Health to adopt our Guidelines for a National Policy on Clinic Committees.

CLICK HERE for the  Guidelines for a National Policy on Clinic Committee.

These guidelines are based on existing policy and through consultation with clinic committee members from all nine provinces. On 18 September 2025, following a National Colloquium of Clinic Committees, a petition campaign was launched whereby we ask the Minister of Health to adopt the guidelines

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Every one of us relies on clinics — whether for ourselves, our children, our elders, or our neighbours. But too often, clinics don’t work the way they should. Patients wait for hours. Medicines are out of stock. Buildings are broken. Staff are overstretched. And communities are left out of the conversation. That’s where Clinic Committees come in.

Clinic Committees are made up of community members who volunteer their time to help improve clinic services, hold health authorities accountable, and make sure everyone’s voice is heard. They are supposed to be the bridge between the clinic and the community — but right now, many of them are being ignored, under-supported, or even shut out. There is no strong national policy that protects their rights or gives them the tools they need to do their work.

We know that when Clinic Committees are active and supported, clinics work better. Staff and patients talk more openly. Community health challenges are addressed faster. Real change happens from the ground up. That’s why we’re demanding that the Minister of Health adopt a clear national policy to define, support, and protect Clinic Committees across the country.

We’re building a people-powered campaign to show that Clinic Committees matter — and that communities demand a voice in how public health is run. If thousands of us sign and share this petition, the Minister will have to act. Add your name and help show that health governance belongs to all of us — not just a few behind closed doors.

THEREFORE

We call on the Minister of Health to urgently adopt a national policy that recognises, supports and strengthens Clinic Committees as essential structures for community participation in health governance.

By signing the petition, people affirm that:

• ✅ Clinic Committees are essential for making clinics work — by raising concerns, sharing solutions, and ensuring accountability.
• ✅ Clinic Committees are the bridge between communities and clinics.
• ✅ Clinic Committees must be involved in decisions about health governance, service delivery, budgets, staff, and planning — at all levels of the system.
• ✅ South Africa needs a national policy to define and protect Clinic Committees in law.
• ✅ Clinic Committees are essential for helping communities respond to the health effects of climate change.

We call on the Minister or Health to adopt the Guidelines for a National Policy on Clinic Committees and ensure that communities have a meaningful voice in shaping the health system that serves them

Clinic Committees are made up of community members who help ensure that clinics work for the people they serve. They are meant to be a bridge between the clinic and the community, bringing forward concerns, suggestions, and helping solve problems.

Right now, many Clinic Committees are under-supported, under-resourced, and not taken seriously. There is no national policy outlining their powers, structure, or responsibilities — and this creates confusion and inequality across provinces.

In the Western Cape PHM SA has been working with the Learning Network

To make Primary Health Care Re-engineering work and to ensure the National Health Insurance (NHI) delivers universal coverage, we need strong community voice, from the bottom up all the way through the health system.

In the Western Cape, for example, Health Committees are in some disarray as a result of a legislative process that has effectively undone years of work by dedicated activists in communities, with the new Act essentially ignoring existing health committees and creating a space for new health committees to be appointed by the Health MEC. There is little support given to Health Committee members by the services, and little recognition.

PHM-SA works with the Learning Network for Health and Human Rights in strengthening Health Committees in the Western Cape and nationally. We will continue to run workshops, organise campaigns and disseminate information to empower community representatives to build strong Health Committees.

For Health Committee training materials, see the resources made available by the Learning Network for Health and Human Rights. For additional information, see the articles below.

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