Overview
This report provides an overview of key developments
in and features of PHC in South Africa, situated in the
socioeconomic and health system context of the
country. It examines the key inputs, outputs and
outcomes of this system, summarizes its strengths
and weaknesses and proposes priorities for further
strengthening of PHC. The latter include a major
focus on the human resource base of PHC, policy
and strategies to address the social determinants
of health, developing the District Health System as
the key support to PHC, and transferring the lessons
learned from and investments in HIV/AIDS into other
areas of the PHC system.
This case study was developed by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, an international partnership hosted by the World Health Organization, as part of the Primary Health Care Systems (PRIMASYS) initiative. PRIMASYS is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and aims to advance the science of primary health care in low- and middle-income countries in order to support efforts to strengthen primary health care systems and improve the implementation, effectiveness and efficiency of primary health care interventions worldwide. The PRIMASYS case studies cover key aspects of primary health care systems, including policy development and implementation, financing, integration of primary health care into comprehensive health systems, scope, quality and coverage of care, governance and organization, and monitoring and evaluation of system performance. The Alliance has developed full and abridged versions of the 20 PRIMASYS case studies. The abridged version provides an overview of the primary health care system, tailored to a primary audience of policy-makers and global health stakeholders interested in understanding the key entry points to strengthen primary health care systems. The comprehensive case study provides an in-depth assessment of the system for an audience of researchers and stakeholders who wish to gain deeper insight into the determinants and performance of primary health care systems in selected low- and middle-income countries.