The status of clinic committees in primary level clinics in three provinces in South Africa

Magister Public Health - MPHIn South Africa, governance structures in the form of clinic committees, hospital boards and district health councils are intended to provide expression to the principle of community participation at a local and district level. They are meant to act as a link between communities and health services and to provide a conduit for the health needs and aspirations of the community to be represented at various local, districts, provincial and national levels. This study aimed to assess the functioning of health governance structures in the form of clinic committees. Specifically, the study sought to ascertain the number of clinic committees associated with public health facilities in three provinces in South Africa namely the Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu Natal and to identify the factors that are perceived by clinic committee members to either facilitate or impede the effective functioning of clinic committees.South Afric

Overview of the 2016 South African Health Review

The Global Report on Urban Health: Equitable, Healthier Cities for Sustainable Development, issued in March 2016 by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), emphasises the need for enhanced governance and leadership to achieve universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals. Noting that a healthy population forms the foundation for ‘sustainable economic growth, social stability, and full realisation of human potential’, the report presents ‘practical, proven solutions for working across sectors to tackle these … health challenges’, and includes examples of such successes in South Africa

Understanding barriers to community participation in HIV and AIDS services: Final report

In 2003, South Africa announced its intention to roll out possibly the largest HIV and AIDS treatment program in the world. Much attention is currently focused on supply-side issues, particularly drug procurement and pricing. Far less attention has been paid to demand for and delivery of treatment, care, and support services. Further, although the role of the community and community organizations is articulated in government policy there has been little active engagement with NGOs on the development of these roles or how to encourage community organizations to support and participate in the antiretroviral (ARV) rollout. As noted in this final research report, this study collected data on barriers and challenges to the use of services and on involvement of community organizations in HIV and AIDS and ARV services for use in the design and implementation of appropriate interventions. The objectives were to improve understanding of the context of the utilization of public health HIV and ARV services, and assess the role communities and community-based organizations can play in implementing the government’s HIV and AIDS plan for the ARV rollout

Emerging threats to equitable implementation of ART in South Africa

The Comprehensive Plan for the expanded treatment of HIV in South Africa was lodged in November 2003. The guiding principles of this plan are “universal access to care and treatment for all, irrespective of race, colour, gender and economic status”, and equitable implementation. However, there are concerns that the provision of antiretroviral treatment will exacerbate existing inequities, thereby undermining the very system that it seeks to build. Using a monitoring framework developed by EQUINET, this contribution seeks to identify the shortfalls in programme implementation and threats to achieving the equity goals that are emerging. Findings highlight ongoing concerns around weak monitoring systems and data collection that enable the development of equity profiles at a sub-national level, while limiting the extent to which progress in meeting the guiding principles may be assessed

Emerging threats to equitable implementation of ART in South Africa

The Comprehensive Plan for the expanded treatment of HIV in South Africa was lodged in November 2003. The guiding principles of this plan are “universal access to care and treatment for all, irrespective of race, colour, gender and economic status”, and equitable implementation. However, there are concerns that the provision of antiretroviral treatment will exacerbate existing inequities, thereby undermining the very system that it seeks to build. Using a monitoring framework developed by EQUINET, this contribution seeks to identify the shortfalls in programme implementation and threats to achieving the equity goals that are emerging. Findings highlight ongoing concerns around weak monitoring systems and data collection that enable the development of equity profiles at a sub-national level, while limiting the extent to which progress in meeting the guiding principles may be assessed

Editorial: Overview of the 2016 South African Health Review

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HIV/AIDS and health sector responses in South Africa : treatment access and equity; balancing the act

Produced in co-operation with Oxfam G