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Health care in South Africa is administered at the provincial level. Before 1990,
people of different races received different levels of health care. Legally, that situation has changed.
Since 1994, new services have been introduced, including free health care for pregnant women and
children under the age of six, free food for primary school children in poor communities and the
establishment of community health centres. Despite legal changes in the system and the various reforms, there is still great disparity in the provision of health services. Wealthy people have private health insurance plans, while everyone else relies on state provided services. Medical facilities are concentrated in urban areas or near game parks and beaches, but are limited in rural areas. |
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| Traditional or folk medicine is popular. It is rooted in the tribal customs and culture of the Black population. The term muti means medicine and is used to refer to traditional cures. There are recognized schools to train traditional healers and herbalists who are of two types. Sangomas are usually women who treat the sick, inyangas are usually men who provide psychic and spiritual services such as exorcising devils, looking into the future and seeking advice from ancestral spirits. The healers are consulted on a regular basis by a large number of people. They maintain offices all over the country, including urban centres. | ||
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Primary health care services are designed to prevent illness and maintain
health. They provide immunization, maternity care, communicable disease prevention, accident and
emergency services and family planning. There are 232 private hospitals in South Africa. Many of these are owned and managed by private physicians or by large business organizations. The mining industry makes a contribution to the health care system by providing its own hospitals. |
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