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Amidst the strategic priorities of any government is the strengthening of public service delivery to citizens, the developmental state to more effectively serve the needs of the people and act as a driving force for socio-economic transformation and upliftment. The key priority in this regard is the strengthening of healthcare service delivery for a healthy citizenry, ensuring more efficient and caring service delivery. The purpose of this research report is to outline the challenges faced by the Eastern Cape Province in delivering quality services to the people of the Eastern Cape in the Health department. The objectives of the study were to provide and ensure accessible comprehensive integrated quality health services in the Eastern Cape, emphasis is on the primary health care approach, optimally utilizing all resources to enable all its present and future generations to enjoy health and quality of life. Although the Eastern Cape delivery of health is facing a myriad of challenges it is however pleasing to note that it’s in line with the implementation of the National Development Plan, the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (2014-2019), the Minister’s Negotiated Service Delivery Agreement (NSDA), National Health Council Priorities. Although the province is failing to fully provide quality health service in so far as Maternal Children’s and Women’s Health (MCWH) package, if the number of reported medico-legal cases from the province is anything to go by promotion of a better life for all is seemingly becoming a pipe dream. The research which was conducted throughout the province looking at the performance enablers in the form of social determinants of health qualitatively and quantitatively looked at the service delivery points and the infrastructure to determine Improvements on the quality and continuum of primary healthcare. However, from the results of the study it is clear that the Province is still managing to reduce morbidity and mortality due to communicable diseases and non-communicable illnesses and conditions by implementing high impact strategies to address prevention, detection, management and support at all levels of care despite the corollary of both institutional failures and Apartheid legacy.

This article employs a structured, theory-guided comparative policy analysis to examine the persistent deficits in community trust that undermine primary health care (PHC) service delivery in Nigeria. Despite numerous reforms targeting financing and administrative structures, PHC utilization remains low and citizen confidence fragile. Drawing on policy learning theory, this study argues that Nigeria’s PHC reforms have predominantly involved first-order, instrumental adjustments, failing to foster deeper shifts in governance philosophy or state-citizen relations essential for building trust. Using Rwanda as a contrasting case, the analysis illustrates how its post-genocide PHC reconstruction leveraged second- and third-order policy learning to embed community trust within governance through co-production, robust accountability mechanisms, and deliberate institutional design. The paper identifies context-sensitive policy lessons for Nigeria, emphasizing that trust must be recognized and actively governed as a strategic resource for legitimate, responsive, and sustainable PHC systems, rather than merely a residual outcome of service delivery.

South Africa is dedicated to attaining Universal Health Coverage via the National Health Insurance program, with the NHI Bill set to be enacted into law in 2024. The primary healthcare system, essential for Universal Health Coverage delivery, encounters ongoing challenges such as a shortage of healthcare professionals, insufficient infrastructure and medication shortages, financial limitations, and inadequate governance frameworks. The Johannesburg health district has experienced high turnover among trained primary healthcare nurses over the past two financial years, leading to staff shortages and decreased morale. This situation threatens the achievement of Universal Health Coverage. Additionally, patients were often turned away from primary health facilities due to early closures and staff shortages, limiting access to healthcare and hindering UHC goals. To achieve UHC, healthcare services must be available, accessible, affordable, and of high quality.To explore the experiences of professional nurses with regards to the implementation of Universal Health Coverage at Primary Health Care facilities in the Johannesburg health district, Gauteng. A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive methodology was employed. Eleven participants, comprising operational managers, professional nurses, and an area manager, were purposefully selected from eight primary healthcare facilities in Regions C and G of Johannesburg. Semi-structured interviews were performed, audio-recorded, and thematically evaluated using Braun & Clarke’s framework. Three themes emerged: (1) Hhuman resource limitations and professional erosion including staff shortages and high turnover, (2) healthcare system inadequacies  and patient accessibility such as poor infrastructure and medication stockouts; and (3) financial and policy constraints that impede effective UHC implementation. Nurses' experiences indicate structural obstacles hindering the implementation of UHC. It is essential to address personnel shortages, infrastructure deficiencies, and policy inefficiencies. Enhancing governance and prioritising nurse involvement in policymaking are crucial for attaining equitable, high-quality healthcare in South Africa.