South Africa’s health care challenges
By Stephanie
It is clear from my research and working with my team’s health care client that stakeholders in South Africa are still working to break down barriers related to social determinants of health.
I depart for Johannesburg, South Africa in just three days and I can hardly contain my excitement for what I know is going to be an incredible trip and valuable learning experience.
One of the primary reasons I chose to attend Boston University was for the real-world learning and immersion opportunities. When I discovered this trip, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to gain exposure to international businesses, conduct hands-on consulting work, and be immersed in topics I am passionate about.
In addition to my MBA, I am also pursuing a Master’s in Public Health, so I am very passionate about health care systems and global health topics. The opportunity to explore these subjects in the context of South Africa was a major reason why I chose this particular course. I am most looking forward to our site visits at the World Health Organization and Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute while in South Africa.
HIV and tuberculosis are among the top key health challenges that organizations, such as WHO and Wits RHI, are tackling. The prevalence rate of adults living with HIV and the rate of new cases of tuberculous in South Africa are among the highest in the world, even though South Africa is considered more developed than most countries in Africa.
In my public health classes we spend a lot of time talking about social determinants of health, which have just as significant of an influence on health/wellness as an individual’s personal health behaviors. It is clear from my research and working with my team’s health care client that stakeholders in South Africa are still working to break down barriers related to social determinants of health. Access to care is still a significant issue for parts of the population, especially rural communities; having to travel long distances for care or treatment, on top of the struggle to pay for that care, is a substantial barrier for many and this ultimately influences the timeliness and quality of care. Health education/awareness is another critical social determinant of health that organizations, like WHO and Wits RHI, have focused their efforts and interventions on, but gaps in education still persist.
My consulting team is working with our client to research affordable models of private health care that could be implemented in South Africa to aid in the structural challenges of the current health care system. The country is facing inefficient and overloaded public healthcare services, and this is a problem as private health care is too expensive or inaccessible for the majority of the population to take advantage of. There is a need for new models and more investment from the private sector in order to enable the health care system to be sustainable moving forward. I am looking forward to meeting our clients and sharing our ideas, while also engaging in a conversation and learning key insights from them. I have no doubt the take-aways from this trip are going to be profound and bring value to my education in many ways.