Investigating the extent and efficiency of community participation in primary health care in Khayelitsha, Cape Town

Abstract

The evolution of the South African health system has been characterised by inequities, imbalances as well as fragmentation. The unification of South Africa in 1910 did not consolidate public health administration, which was characterised by increasing institutionalisation, professionalism and organisation. This was the status-quo up until after 1990, whereby there were marked efforts and endeavours to effect defragmentation. In the context of the dramatic political changes that the country has seen over recent years, many aspects of local health care have been upgraded. Issues such as policy making and planning, the development of human resources and training for health care and the establishment of health systems and structures requires a different approach from the previous. Effective human resources development and management in consultation with communities, can contribute towards improvement of service delivery around health issues. Personnel matters and skills development should be considered in the exercise to boost employee morale and job satisfaction. The challenge facing South Africa has been to design a comprehensive programme to redress social and economic injustices, to eradicate poverty, increase efficiency and reduce waste. In the health sector this has been ongoing to involve the complete transformation of the national health care delivery system and the relevant institutions. Health care workers jointly, require the right skills, knowledge and expertise with attitude in their duties and obligation to serve the community.