Surgical resources in South Africa: an analysis of the inequalities between the public and private sector

Dell, Angela; Kahn, D; Klopper, J. F.

doi:10.17159/2078-5151/2018/v56n2a2397

“…Operating theatre and surgical provider data were obtained from previous published studies. (13,14) CS data for 2015-16 were obtained through the NDoH.…”

Section: Hospital Selection and Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-hour surgical access in South Africa: a useful indicator in a middle- income country?

Chu

¹

,

Dell

²

,

Moultrie

³

et al. 2020

Preprint

1

0

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Background In a robust health care system, at least 80% of a country’s population should be able to access a district hospital that provides surgical care within two hours. The objective was to identify the proportion of the population living within two hours of a district hospital with surgical capacity in South Africa. Methods All government hospitals in the country were identified. Surgical district hospitals were defined as district hospitals with a surgical provider, a functional operating theatre, and the provision of at least one caesarean section annually. The proportion of the population within two-hour access was estimated using service area methods. Results One hundred and thirty-eight of 240 (58%) district hospitals had surgical capacity and 86% of the population had two-hour access to these facilities. Ninety-eight percent of the population had two-hour access to any government hospital in South Africa. Conclusion Improving equitable surgical access is urgently needed in sub-Saharan Africa. This study demonstrated that in South Africa, just over half of district hospitals had surgical capacity but more than 80% of the population had two-hour access to these facilities. Strengthening district hospital surgical capacity is an international mandate and needed to improve access.

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“…Operating theatre and surgical provider data were obtained from previous published studies. 13,14 CS data for 2015-16 were obtained through the NDoH.…”

Section: Hospital Selection and Definitionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Two-hour surgical access in South Africa: a useful indicator in a middle-income country?

Chu

¹

,

Dell

²

,

Moultrie

³

et al. 2020

Preprint

1

0

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background In a robust health care system, at least 80% of a country’s population should be able to access a district hospital that provides surgical care within two hours. The objective was to identify the proportion of the population living within two hours of a district hospital with surgical capacity in South Africa. Methods All government hospitals in the country were identified. Surgical district hospitals were defined as district hospitals with a surgical provider, a functional operating theatre, and the provision of at least one caesarean section annually. The proportion of the population within two-hour access was estimated using service area methods. Results One hundred and thirty-eight of 240 (58%) district hospitals had surgical capacity and 86% of the population had two-hour access to these facilities. Ninety-eight percent of the population had two-hour access to any government hospital in South Africa. Conclusion Improving equitable surgical access is urgently needed in sub-Saharan Africa. This study demonstrated that in South Africa, just over half of district hospitals had surgical capacity but more than 80% of the population had two-hour access to these facilities. Strengthening district hospital surgical capacity is an international mandate and needed to improve access.

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“…In 2015, a National Surgical Forum was convened at the University of Witwatersrand to discuss a roadmap for an NSOAP following the launch of the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery (LCoGS). Since then, perioperative research has been conducted in SA to quantify the LCoGS indicators and identify health system gaps in workforce, [13,14] infrastructure [15][16][17] and quality. [18][19][20] While more than 96% of South Africans live within 2 hours of a government hospital, [21] quality surgical care is variable and lags behind global standards.…”

Section: Editorialmentioning

confidence: 99%