South Africa’s Return to Primary Care: The Struggles and Strides of the Primary Health Care System

Abstract

Primary health care has a unique history in South Africa, where efforts to provide holistic health care to rural communities began in the early 1940s. The racial and social inequalities brought by apartheid caused this progression in medical care to be reversed until South Africa’s liberation in 1990. Since then, the nation has attempted to adopt a health care system with its main focus on primary care and prevention. However, given the numerous other economic and political issues the government faces, the establishment of a strong primary care network has proven difficult. In May and June 2013, the author traveled to Cape Town, South Africa and volunteered at a large public primary health care facility. By discussing the current challenges of the South African health care system from personal experiences in the clinic, this paper highlights the central problems that continue today and suggests areas for improvement within primary health care in the post-apartheid nation.