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pubmed:otherAbstract |
PIP: The White minority population in South Africa long oppressed and disenfranchised the country's Black majority. The apartheid system, however, was finally put to rest with the election of Nelson Mandela as President of South Africa during April 27-29, 1994. During apartheid, the White minority enjoyed the best health care available among developed countries, while Blacks were forced to receive some of the worst care provided in the Third World. The doctor/patient ratios in 1981 for White and Black patients, respectively, were 330 and 91,000. In 1985, infant mortality for White infants was 13.1/1000 compared to 70/1000 for Blacks. The existence of fourteen separate health departments caused major duplication and waste. South Africa now has the opportunity to effect revolutionary changes in its health care. To that end, President Mandela announced free health care for pregnant women and children younger than age six years on May 24, 1994. A subsequent uptake in health service utilization was quickly observed in small towns. Structurally, a central health department with a provincial department for each of the four provinces replaced the redundant predemocracy system of fourteen health departments. This change, however, for now, exists only on paper and net financial gains from the reorganization have yet to be realized. Finally, there have been frequent strikes in hospitals throughout the country by health workers demanding better pay and working conditions.
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