How Does Free Health Care Alleviate Poverty in South Africa?
What exactly is healthcare?
Healthcare is the practise or business of providing medical services to improve people’s health through disease, illness, and injury prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration, or cure.
What is the purpose of health care?
The main purpose of health care is to improve one’s quality of life through improving one’s health.
What is the distinction between health care and medical care?
Medical care is a profession, an actual service where trust lies between patient doctor whiles Healthcare is a business that employs people such as doctors, nurses, billing clerks, hospitalists, and medical assistants.
Is there free healthcare in South Africa?
South Africa provides limited free health care services.
What measure is undertaken by the government to ensure free healthcare in South Africa?
The South African government implemented the National Health Insurance (NHI) programme, which is a health financing system meant to pool funds to ensure that all South Africans have access to high-quality, inexpensive health care. People with NHI coverage, however, have access to free primary health care services at government hospitals.
How does free health care alleviate poverty in South Africa?
A free health care policy assures access to high-quality health services supplied by both the public and private sectors, removing financial barriers to accessing healthcare and so alleviating poverty.
Who is offered free healthcare in South Africa?
According to the National Health Act, section 4(3), specific people should receive free healthcare services. These category of people include:
1. Pregnant and lactating women.
2. Children below six years.
3. All persons receiving compensation for compensable occupational diseases.
4. Women, subject to the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996 (Act No. 92 of 1996).
What are the advantages of free healthcare?
1. Lower administrative expenses
2. Improves child health
3. Eliminates unnecessary competition among hospitals
What are the disadvantages of free healthcare?
1. Degrade quality of service
2. Increase government’s budget
