‘The grass IS’NT always greener… a Personal view on the South African Health Care System – FINAL (Knoetze, CF)

The Vogues (1966 American music group) sings of Africa as the land of milk and honey in their 1967 hit single “The Land Of Milk & Honey” which isn’t always true when it comes to our health system, with 85% of the countries citizens not having access to proper health care. It is due to this fact that some of the countries medical practitioners have been using the abovementioned statistic to their advantage, and no, not in a positive way. Using and abusing their rights to provide medical treatment to desperate patients who, lacking in knowledge, hangs on every word that the practitioner’s tell them and paying a substantial amount of money for it.

The picture above is a representation of just how wrong the popular saying “the grass is always greener on the other side” is, but rather that the opposite (hence the heading) is true. The left side of the picture (excuse my feet :)) where the grass is green and well looked after represents what patients expect to get when they enter a hospital setting, which is good service and excellent medical treatment. On the right side of the picture where the grass grows in patches and in some places not at all, represents the reality of the health system in South Africa with poor service and abysmal medical treatment and patient care being at the fore front.

This picture can also speak to the lack of proper patient care by the hospital’s medical staff, with patients fighting a losing battle regarding services provided by institution. Adding fuel to the fire is poor sanitation and sky high medical bills, leaving the doctors smiling and the patients on the ‘back foot’. This trickles down to the physiotherapists as they are left with doing the job of three people on top of their own.

In a 2009 study done by Peltzer showcased 12 pages worth of evidence that supports my view. The study found that poor patient care was eminent to different socio-economic groups, and was attributed to variables such as age, population group, and income & employment status. Based on these variables patients have different attitudes towards professional health care services (Peltzer, 2009). The study findings suggest that 63.1% of patients in the sample group were “dissatisfied” with many of the services provided. Some of the main issues included: long waiting times (41.5%); poor staff attitudes (22.8%); non-availability of prescribed medication (15.8%) & staff shortages (doctors, pharmacists). These findings were also supported in a 2002 study done  by d’Oliveira et al where patients stated significantly declining post maternity rehabilitative care where given to them by hospital staff, which led to a reduced self expression during labor (d’Oliveira et al, 2002). The individuals put in charge of caring for patients during their stay in hospital are the ones abusing that right by eliciting poor professionalism and insensitivity.

Whether it be home or hospital care, respect is a two way street irrespective of our differences. Working together as medical practitioner and patient will help guide us into a better future for future generations to come.

Reference List:

• Peltzer, K. (2009). Patient experiences and health system responsiveness in South Africa. In: BMC Health Services Research. BioMed Central. [Online]. https://bmchealthservers.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6963-9-117 . 26 April 2019

• d’Oliveira, A., Diniz, S.G., Schraiber, L.B. (2002). Violence against women in health-care institutions: an emerging problem. In: The Lancet: Violence against women VI. [Online] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673602085926. 26 April 2019