he South African health system is struggling with many challenges including financial constraints, a high burden of disease, a relative scarcity and maldistribution of healthcare professionals, crumbling infrastructure, inadequate health information systems, limited electronic medical records and problems with the supply of medication and other items in some areas. There are also complaints about the quality of primary care and skills gaps at our rural and district hospitals. Within this challenging landscape, the family physician stands out as one of the missed opportunities to strengthen our ailing health system…..more