Background: In 2005, the South African government introduced a voluntary, subsidised health insur... more Background: In 2005, the South African government introduced a voluntary, subsidised health insurance scheme for civil servants. In light of the global emphasis on universal coverage, empirical evidence is needed to understand the relationship between new health financing strategies and health care access thereby improving global understanding of these issues. Objectives: This study analysed coverage of the South African government health insurance scheme, the population groups with low uptake, and the individual-level factors, as well as characteristics of the scheme, that influenced enrolment. Methods: Multi-stage random sampling was used to select 1,329 civil servants from the health and education sectors in four of South Africa's nine provinces. They were interviewed to determine factors associated with enrolment in the scheme. The analysis included both descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Notwithstanding the availability of a non-contributo...
In South Africa inequalities in health have been extensively reported. The poor suffer more ill h... more In South Africa inequalities in health have been extensively reported. The poor suffer more ill health than the rich. This paper discusses the need to understand the historical, social and political contexts and power relations that have shaped inequalities in South Africa. This can be achieved in part through a cohesive intersectoral approach that addresses ‘the causes of the causes’. Yet more fundamentally, the authors suggest that success in tackling inequalities in health will only come when existing power structures in South African society are acknowledged.
The use of traditional medicine is widespread in developing countries. We report on the utilizati... more The use of traditional medicine is widespread in developing countries. We report on the utilization of traditional healers, using data obtained in a 2008 national survey of 4762 households in South Africa. Only 1.2 per cent of survey participants reported utilization of traditional healers. Respondents' reasons for visiting traditional healers included continuity of care and a belief in their effectiveness. Traditional healer utilization rates (0.02 visits per month) were considerably lower compared to utilization rates of public sector clinics (0.18 visits per month) or hospitals (0.09 visits per month). Almost three-quarters of the poorest quintile spent more than 10 per cent of their household expenditure in the previous month on traditional healers. Given the use of two parallel health-care systems, policy-makers should develop strategies to protect poor South Africans from out-of-pocket payments for health care. Simultaneous utilization of these systems evidently absorbs expenditure from low-income households significantly.
Background: In 2005, the South African government introduced a voluntary, subsidised health insur... more Background: In 2005, the South African government introduced a voluntary, subsidised health insurance scheme for civil servants. In light of the global emphasis on universal coverage, empirical evidence is needed to understand the relationship between new health financing strategies and health care access thereby improving global understanding of these issues. Objectives: This study analysed coverage of the South African government health insurance scheme, the population groups with low uptake, and the individual-level factors, as well as characteristics of the scheme, that influenced enrolment. Methods: Multi-stage random sampling was used to select 1,329 civil servants from the health and education sectors in four of South Africa's nine provinces. They were interviewed to determine factors associated with enrolment in the scheme. The analysis included both descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression. Results: Notwithstanding the availability of a non-contributo...
In South Africa inequalities in health have been extensively reported. The poor suffer more ill h... more In South Africa inequalities in health have been extensively reported. The poor suffer more ill health than the rich. This paper discusses the need to understand the historical, social and political contexts and power relations that have shaped inequalities in South Africa. This can be achieved in part through a cohesive intersectoral approach that addresses ‘the causes of the causes’. Yet more fundamentally, the authors suggest that success in tackling inequalities in health will only come when existing power structures in South African society are acknowledged.
The use of traditional medicine is widespread in developing countries. We report on the utilizati... more The use of traditional medicine is widespread in developing countries. We report on the utilization of traditional healers, using data obtained in a 2008 national survey of 4762 households in South Africa. Only 1.2 per cent of survey participants reported utilization of traditional healers. Respondents' reasons for visiting traditional healers included continuity of care and a belief in their effectiveness. Traditional healer utilization rates (0.02 visits per month) were considerably lower compared to utilization rates of public sector clinics (0.18 visits per month) or hospitals (0.09 visits per month). Almost three-quarters of the poorest quintile spent more than 10 per cent of their household expenditure in the previous month on traditional healers. Given the use of two parallel health-care systems, policy-makers should develop strategies to protect poor South Africans from out-of-pocket payments for health care. Simultaneous utilization of these systems evidently absorbs expenditure from low-income households significantly.
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Papers by Olufunke Alaba