Among all the debate and disagreement on National Health Insurance as a vehicle for South Africa’s universal health coverage aspirations, one idea remains uncontroversial: that Primary Health Care is the cornerstone to a resilient and sustainable health system. But this agreement is just the beginning. To achieve it South Africa’s Primary Health Care system will require massive investment of time and resources.
To understand our gaps, we must first understand what Primary Health Care is and is not. It is not the medical model (or Primary Care) which refers to the provider-patient relationship in healthcare. Instead, Primary Health Care also focuses on the broader social context surrounding the care relationship.
It includes the involvement of communities and broader society in its service design and in addressing the social, economic and environmental determinants of health. In addition, its delivery relies on a multidisciplinary care team tasked with delivery of integrated, continuous care that focuses on prevention and promotion of health in addition to cure, rehabilitation and palliative care. ….more
