Ethnic Disparities In Access To Care Remain In Post-Apartheid South Africa

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 16 Oct 2008 - 10:00 PDT

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Fourteen years after the end of apartheid, "blacks" and those of mixed race in South Africa are still underserved and disadvantaged compared with their white and Asian counterparts, especially regarding health care, researchers report.

Researchers examined ethnic disparities in obtaining medical care among the four major ethnic groups - blacks, whites, "coloreds" (those of mixed race), and Asians - in post-Apartheid South Africa. A total of 40.8 percent of blacks and 22.9 percent of coloreds reported going without medical care at some point in the past year, compared with 10.9 percent of whites and 6.9 percent of Asians.



"Although there have been advances in the equalizing of services, there has also been a deterioration of the public health system. With the proliferation of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, that system is overburdened and unable to care for those most in need," the study's authors claimed.

"Ethnic Disparities in Access to Care in Post-Apartheid South Africa"
Zeida R. Kon * Nuha Lackan
American Journal of Public Health, 10.2105/AJPH.2007.127829
Click here to view Abstract online

The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly Journal of the American Public Health Association (APHA), the oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world. APHA is a leading publisher of books and periodicals promoting sound scientific standards, action programs and public policy to enhance health.

www.ajph.org

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