The draft charter of the private and public health sectors of the Republic of South Africa: Health for all, or profits for few?
Journal Article
2005
Permanent link to this Item
Authors
Journal Title
South African Medical Journal
Link to Journal
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Publisher
University of Cape Town
Faculty
License
Series
Abstract
The central aim of the Department of Health’s recently released Draft Charter of the Public and Private Health Sectors (CPPHS) is to address the legacy of apartheid regarding access to health care for all South Africans. It commits the public and private sectors to create ‘a health care system that is coherent, cost effective and quality driven … for the benefit of the entire population’ and to work together ‘to improve the scope, accessibility and quality of care at all levels’. These are laudable goals and we express our wholehearted support for them. The CPPHS specifies four ‘key areas’ of transformation: access to health services, equity in health services, quality of health services, and black economic empowerment (BEE). Among these the first three – access to, equity in, and quality of health care services - are essential (though not sufficient) to meeting the goal of health for all in South Africa. The fourth, however, is problematic.
Description
Reference:
Reynolds, L., London, L., & Sanders, D. (2005). The Draft Charter of the Private and Public Health Sectors of the Republic of South Africa: health for all, or profits for few?: issues in medicine: SAMJ forum. South African Medical Journal, 95(10), p-742.