Primary Health Care (PHC) has been widely documented to play a central role in the health status of a population. Research has also shown it to be the most cost-effective manner to improving a population’s health status. From this perspective, strengthening PHC is a pivotal approach to public health care in South Africa. In addition a strengthened PHC platform would decrease unnecessary visits to hospitals as well as hospitalisation.

Access to PHC is largely dependent on community-based services, the location of facilities and their opening hours. Quality is a function of the availability of skilled staff as well as the availability of drugs, labs tests and other consumables. Efficiency on the other hand relates to the optimum utilisation of resources, such as, HR (skill mix), Finances as well as Facility Opening Hours.

View the complete Strengthening PHC services in the North-West Province: Staffing scenarios Report