About the book
“The family is the most important level of care in Africa.”
Professor Steve Reid,
Centre for Rural Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal
The changes taking place within family medicine in South Africa today affect the provision of health care in both public and private sectors.
From 2008, every new GP will have to be trained in a public-sector district hospital, and will have to acquire some experience and knowledge of rural health problems.
The new GPs working in the private sector will be required to demonstrate a palpable commitment to the provision of social justice and equity in health.
The doctors of tomorrow will not only be more skilled in dealing with day-to-day primary health-care issues, but will also be qualified to perform procedures that were previously the exclusive preserve of medical specialists. This book intends to give both medical practitioners and the general public some insight into the background of family practice in South Africa, and highlight a way forward that will give effect to the constitutional right to health care for all through improved access to quality primary health services.
About the Authors
Jannie Hugo is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Pretoria and is responsible for Community-Based Education. Before that he worked for 17 years at Medunsa. He is the chairperson of the committee on Family Medicine of the Medical and Dental Professions Board of South Africa, Director of the Rural Health Initiative (RHI) and a founder researcher of the Madibeng Centre for Research (MCR) in Brits. He lives with his family in the Magaliesberg near De Wildt.
His interest lies primarily in education in primary care, the management of primary care services, district and rural health, and the development of district learning centres. He has published extensively on consultation, district clinic health services, the management of district hospitals and training in primary care. He was the facilitator of an international project focusing on the development of family medicine training in South Africa and initiated the development of a mid-level medical worker programme for the country.
Lucie Allan is a pharmacist and health policy analyst based in Grahamstown, within South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. She has worked in both the retail pharmacy sector and academia. The focus of her academic work has included community pharmacy and medicines information. She has conducted research into pharmacy education and the infl uence of competing interest groups over pharmacy policy. Her research interests include the changing role of health care workers in the provision of primary health care in post-apartheid South Africa.
Contents
Chapter 1 Suffering and Hope: Health and Human Rights
Chapter 2 Inequity in Health and Healthcare
Chapter 3 Family Medicine
Chapter 4 Visions for the Future of Family Medicine
Chapter 5 Medical Education and Training
