This study evaluates the technical efficiency and productivity of a sample of public sector hospitals in three provinces of South Africa using the non-parametric techniques of data envelopment analysis (DEA) and DEA-based Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI).

The current period of fundamental political change in South Africa offers a window of opportunity for the implementation of transformative health policies. The South African health system is presently characterised by considerable fragmentation of health service provision and administration,...

This paper presents the findings of a critical review of studies carried out in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) focusing on the economic consequences for households of illness and health care use. These include household level impacts of direct costs (medical treatment and related...

South Africa is one of the world's most unequal societies and its health sector mirrors these inequalities. Since the first democratic elections in 1994 the government has been under enormous pressure to diminish disparities between population groups in access to health services. This paper...

Poor access to health care is one of the greatest impediments to improved health in Africa. In Zambia, user fees are considered to be partly responsible for substantial disparities in access to health care. When the Government introduced user fees in 1993, considerable concern was expressed...

Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa - the countries known as BRICS – represent some of the world’s fastest growing large economies and nearly 40% of the world’s population. Over the last two decades, BRICS have undertaken health-system reforms to make progress...

South Africa has a well-established private voluntary health insurance sector. At present, only 16% of the South African population are members of these medical schemes. The rest of the population depends on public sector health care. Yet more than 60% of resources are located in the private...