When I think of the South African Health system this picture of stairs comes to my mind. I used the picture of stairs because they gave me a mental imagination of a hierarchy, and I see the South African health system as more of a hierarchy than anything else, that is how patients view the South African health system. According to Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary-3rd edition, a hierarchy is defined as ‘’an arrangements of items in which items are represented as being above, below or at the same level as another’’. In this essay I will be giving my view on how patients see the South African Health system.
People in South Africa strive each day to work for the better and be at the top so that they can get benefits such as access to medical aids. People know that having access to a medical aid means that they will receive better health care and better health benefits should they fall sick one day. In this hierarchy(stairs), people at the bottom half are mostly those that do not work and have no access to medical aids and those at the top are those who work and/or have access to medical aids. The South African health systems ranks people according to relative status or authority, those who work are most likely to have access to medical aids, and those who are jobless are mostly those who have no access to medical aids. The South African health system is divided into two sectors: the private sector (dominated and not limited to use by those with medical aids) and the public sector (For everyone, with/without a medical aid).
Patients at Private hospitals receive good health care and are exposed to a variety of medication and rehabilitation programmes than those at public hospitals. Patients tend to feel better when they are admitted at private hospitals because they feel safe and taken good care of than at public hospitals. The treatment patients get from private hospitals always meets up with their expectations, private hospitals have more rehabilitation programmes than public hospitals. Patients in private hospitals receive better Physiotherapy and medical care than those at public hospitals. Many people in South Africa are admitted in public hospitals than in Private hospitals daily, mainly because they do not have access to medical aid and cannot keep up with private hospital fees, however almost half of those admitted in Public hospitals wish that they were admitted to a private hospital than a public hospital. Patients think bad about public hospitals, they tend to feel so insecure when are admitted at public hospitals, they are more concerned about the treatment they will receive at the hospital(public) than the actual situation. Patients view private hospitals as a better place to be than public hospitals if they fall sick one day. Patients view the private sector as a better health system that works best for our country, the government should allocate more funds to the health sector, that so all citizens can receive equal health care from both sectors, be it private or public(Gilson, L &Daire J, 2011).
References,
Janseen, k. (2009). The South African healh system . public and private challenges, the journal 317-350
Gilson, L., & Daire, J. (2011). Leadership and governance within the South African health system. South African health review, 2011(1), 69-80.
One thought on “THE SOUTH AFRICAN HEALTH SYSTEM.”
I like how you connect the text to the picture and I think the picture reflect the topic well. Perhaps your text could include more references. For example, the explanation of hierarchy could have a reference. I would also like to know where in the text you used the reference?
Regardless it is a good text and it gave me a better idea of the healthcare system in South Africa.
Thank you! 🙂