Palesa Mokomele, Head of Community Engagement and Communications at international non-profit organisation, DKMS Africa. | The Comms Avenue
Durban — South Africa's corporate social investment (CSI) budgets reveal a troubling trend, health initiatives garner a mere 6% of funds, a significant drop compared to the 25% allocated in the United States.
Palesa Mokomele, head of community engagement and communications at an international non-profit organisation, DKMS Africa, has raised an urgent alarm.
As the number of South African businesses backing health initiatives declines each year, Mokomele warns of a “looming crisis” that threatens the lives of thousands who rely on stem cell transplants. This decreasing support poses serious implications for the nation's healthcare landscape, especially for patients battling blood cancers and disorders.
Every day, approximately 120 South Africans step forward to become potential stem cell donors, providing hope to over 19 000 patients valiantly fighting for survival. However, this altruism comes at a cost. Each registration costs non-profits about R2 500, a figure that reflects the extensive efforts needed to grow and diversify the country's stem cell registry—a crucial component of blood cancer treatment.
“While registering as a donor is free for individuals, the financial burden on organisations like ours is significant.”
With rising costs associated with cover expenses for blood stem cell donations—such as travel, meals, accommodation, and medical visits—finances are stretched ever thinner,” Mokomele said.
Despite 79% of South African companies acknowledging CSI as a moral imperative, a staggering 12% reduction in health-related corporate support year-on-year has been noted. Of those few funds allocated, primary healthcare receives the lion's share at 81%, while secondary and tertiary healthcare receive a meagre 8% and 7%, respectively.
Tragically, spending on tertiary healthcare, where specialised care is concentrated, has plummeted by 50%. Mokomele highlights the pressing necessity for an approach that not only funds healthcare services but also prioritises education about blood cancers and their treatments.
As South Africa strives to meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 3—ensuring good health and well-being by 2030—the engagement of the private sector becomes paramount.
“Improving health financing requires private businesses to step up,” Mokomele said.
She further emphasised that increased investment could lead to transformative changes in the health sector.
“No one should die due to an inability to find a matching stem cell donor; businesses can make a decisive difference,” Mokomele stated.
With the new financial year round the corner, she makes an impassioned plea for corporate support:
“Together, we can ensure that every individual in need has a potential donor waiting to give them a second chance at life.”
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