Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Dell, A.J
• Kahn, D
• Klopper, J

Titel

An analysis of the inequalities between the public and private sector in South Africa

Ist Teil von

• South African journal of surgery, 2017-06, Vol.55 (2), p.68

Ort / Verlag

South African Sports Medicine Association

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Background The full extent of the global burden of surgical disease is largely unknown; however, the scope of the problem is thought to be large. Despite the substantial burden of surgical disease, surgical services are inaccessible to many of those who need them most. There are disparities between public and private sectors in South Africa, which compounds inequitable access to surgical care. Aim The Aim was to perform a comparison between the surgical resources in the public and private sectors in order to assess inequalities between them. Methods This study involved a descriptive analysis of surgical resources and included the total number of hospitals, hospital beds, surgical beds, general surgeons (specialist and non-specialist), and the number of functional operating theatres in South Africa. A comparison was performed between the public sector resources per uninsured population and private sector resources per insured population. Hospitals were contacted during the period 01 October 2014 to 31 December 2014. Results Surgical resources were concentrated in metropolitan areas of urban provinces. There were striking differences between sectors when a comparison was made between patients with and without health insurance. Private resources were comparable to those available in high income countries (HICs) and were accessible to only 16% of South Africans. Discussion Improving access to surgical services in lower middle income countries (LMICs) requires addressing gaps between the public and private sector regarding infrastructure, personnel, as well as equipment. South Africa is unique in that although it is classified as an upper middle income country (UMIC), it comprises of two sectors; a public sector which has resources similar to other LMICs, and a private sector which has resources similar to HICs. These data identified disparities between geographic regions which may be contributing to ongoing inequity in South Africa, and by doing so allows for evidence-based planning towards improving surgical infrastructure and workforce.