A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. This thesis is presented as a series of
manuscripts.
1997The recent political transformation which has taken place in South Africa has set the scene for a metamorphosis of thinking paradigms and structures, in society in general, and in the health arena in particular One of the main shifts has been the growing emphasis on Primary Health Care and its implementation, a move which has necessitated a reevaluation of the roles which the various health professions fulfil within this framework. The need for new types of solutions to respond to peoples’ health needs, along with the poor fit between research and the knowledge required to improve the situation, has contributed to the movement now referred to widely as the “New Public Health”.IT201
