Around 15% of people in South Africa are members of private medical aid schemes, leaving 85% of people in the country largely reliant on a severely strained public healthcare system. (Phil Fisk/Getty Images) South Africa's healthcare system is facing myriad challenges. Experts have put forward a range of practical solutions to address some of the country's pressing issues.
Spotlight rounds up some of the proposed solutions to improve patient care, including the use of public-private partnerships. Closing the inequality gap and making trusted healthcare services accessible to the majority will require a whole systems overhaul. This was the underlying message of speakers at the recent Hospital Association of South Africa Conference, who tackled the question of pragmatic steps to address the divides and failings of the country's healthcare system.
They put forward a range of solutions, models and case studies while highlighting the looming crises as more people fall through the cracks. Around 15% of people in South Africa are members of private medical aid schemes, leaving 85% of people in the country largely reliant on a severely strained public healthcare system (though some do pay out-of-pocket to visit private sector doctors). As reported in Business Day , an argument was made at the conference for making medical scheme membership compulsory for everyone in formal employment, a move it is estimated could triple the number of people with medical scheme coverage and result in .