Social Determinants on Health Care Service Delivery in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: The Corollary of Institutional Failures

Abstract

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.

Keywords: {'name': 'Healthcare; social determinants of Health; Primary Health Care; Service Delivery'}

Authors & affiliations

Xolisile Ngumbela
Central University of Technology, Free State

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