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This project has been funded by the European Union.

Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty

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Newsletter 4 - The state of South Africa’s health - 16 January 2009

HIV/AIDS is undoubtedly South Africa’s biggest health concern. According to research collated by the South African Institute of Race Relations, some 5.6 million people in South Africa were HIV infected in 2008. Over 11% of the population is living with HIV/AIDS.

 
South Africa has seen both improvements and deteriorations in its health system since 1994. Many South Africans are dissatisfied with the state of government hospitals and clinics. Poor service and ill-equipped facilities have exacerbated the lack of confidence in the public health system.
 
HIV/AIDS is undoubtedly South Africa’s biggest health concern. According to research collated by the South African Institute of Race Relations, some 5.6 million people in South Africa were HIV infected in 2008. Over 11% of the population is living with HIV/AIDS. There were 505 046 new HIV infections in 2008. Between 2002 and 2008, the increase in the country’s HIV prevalence rate was 20.8%. An estimated 1 384 people are infected daily in the country. In 2008, there were 1 250 000 AIDS orphans in the country.
 
HIV/AIDS has placed immense pressure on the country’s public health system.   
 
HIV/AIDS is however, not the only health matter of concern. The conditions under which the poor live, especially in the informal settlements, are risk factors in the spread of diseases such as cholera, TB, typhoid, malaria, and diarrhoea. 
 
Access to information is a key to resolving challenges arising in South Africa’s health system, and for monitoring the progress of the country’s health system over time. The Municipal Outreach Project aims to assist municipalities gain access to information regarding issues in their communities. Health and poverty are two issues that cannot be independently resolved. The poor are subjected to lower quality health services, and are prone to suffer deaths from diseases such as cholera, TB, and HIV.
 
The project has several channels for distributing information to the municipalities. A weekly newsletter, published every Friday at noon, is published on the project website, www.eumunicipaloutreach.org.za. The newsletter is also e-mailed to municipal councillors and officials, and development organisations. A monthly Fast Facts for Local Government is published and posted to all municipal councillors and officials, and development organisations; and carries information on over 170 indicators per issue. An annual South Africa Survey will also be distributed. The Survey covers a wide range of socio-economic issues, and contains information on demographics, the economy, business and employment, education, health and welfare, living conditions and communications, crime and security, politics and governance. Extracts from the Survey are posted on the project website.
 
Workshops will be conducted in each of the municipalities covered in the project. The first series of workshops, the Major Urban Poverty Challenges Identification (MUPCI) workshops, will take place in 2009. The workshops will be designed for elected councillors and officials to identify what they see as the major poverty challenges facing their constituents.
 
The second series of workshops will be in 2010. These will be the Urban Poverty Intervention (UPI) workshops, and will explore policy interventions appropriate to the challenges identified in the MUPCI workshops.    
 
The Anti Poverty Intervention Implementation Proposals (APIIP) workshops will take place during 2011. The APIIP workshops will formally propose the policy interventions identified in the first two years, and will identify the most effective means to implement the policy recommendations.
 
The Municipal Outreach Project requires the participation of the municipalities, and development organisations in order to jointly determine and implement interventions that will aid the country in combating poverty.
 
- Nthamaga Kgafela

by nkgafela — last modified 2009-01-16 13:02
This website has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty and the South African Institute of Race Relations and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union.