No description available.

Thesis (MPA.) --University of Limpopo, 2018 / The purpose of the study was to determine the factors that cause extended waiting time in public health care facilities. The study was conducted in the Capricorn District, Limpopo Province.The study was guided by three objectives:  To describe the average waiting time for patients in public health care centres.  To assess the arrangements in place for outpatients in public health care facilities.  The recommend ways to reduce waiting period. This study is significant because those in authority may use it to formulate and/or improve existing policies and strategies that would contribute in reducing long waiting time. The patients, general public and the Department of Health will be the most beneficiaries of the study. This will culminate in the improvement of healthcare services in public clinics.The population of the study was made up of the total number of clinics in Capricorn District, Limpopo Province. The sample size was 10% of the total population of clinics in Capricorn District. Semi structured questionnaire was used during data collection from sampled health care facilities in Capricorn District. The questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument, where managers of the health care facilities were asked to complete it. The study found that shortage of staff, among other factors, was the main cause behind long waiting time in public health care facilities in the district. The study hereby recommends the recruitment and appointment of sufficient staff in order to reduce waiting time is done sooner than later. This will improve access to health care services which is aligned to the objectives of the National Health Insurance in South Africa and the National Development Plan.

No description available.

Magister Chirurgiae Dentium (MChD) / South Africa

The South African government has a constitutional obligation to provide health care services to all South Africans. The Department of Health (DOH) has been tasked with delivering health care services to a country which is still recovering from the inequities of the past where unemployment, lack of education, and poverty rates are high. Poverty contributes to food insecurity in many households. Household food insecurity contributes to malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality, particularly in children. Policies are made to tackle a particular identified social problem. In 1995, the DOH introduced the Integrated Nutrition Program (INP) to deal with malnutrition in this country. The Health Systems Trust (HST) is an independent NGO which was established in 1992 to support the transformation of the South African healthcare system. The HST implements the community component of the INP with the aim to contribute to household food security and health status of children under the age of 5 years (INP Progress Report 2002/3: 3). The purpose of the study is to identify policy implementation issues as identified by the literature, particularly the literature on policy networks, while analyzing the implementation of the INP. The key focus of this study is policy implementation. It particularly looks at policy networks as forums for policy making and implementation. It looks at interactions between government and non-governmental organisations, more particularly the DOH and HST and their networking with other organisations. A qualitative methodology was used because, as Marlow (1993:67) argues, a qualitative approach may be more effective because the answers can provide a detailed description of the program. Primary and secondary data was collected from the DOH as well as the HST. Purposive sampling was applied where participants were selected on the basis of their relevance to the study. Interviews were held with key informants. A structured questionnaire was designed for the key participants at the HST as well as the key participants of the DOH. The implementation of the INP by the DOH and HST is an illustration of a policy network in action. The study on the HST's implementation of the INP emphasizes that government cannot afford to ignore the contribution NGOs have made and continue to make in service delivery 'because of their cost effectiveness and ability to engage people at the grassroots level, especially in remote areas' (Taylor, cited in Camay and Gordon, 2002:37). Factors which contribute to network failure, according to Kickert et al (1997:9) include: a lack of incentives to cooperate and the existence of blockades to collective action; proposed goals may be vague; important actors may be absent, while the presence of other actors may discourage the participation of necessary actors; crucial information about goals, means and actors may be lacking; discretionary power may be absent; and the absence of commitment of actors to the common purpose. All the above were evident in the implementation of the INP. The implementation of the INP is for the most part successful. The issue is about whether it is a relationship which will be able to endure and overcome its existing weaknesses thereby sustaining the delivery of an integrated nutrition program. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

The South African government has a constitutional obligation to provide health care services to all South Africans. The Department of Health (DOH) has been tasked with delivering health care services to a country which is still recovering from the inequities of the past where unemployment, lack of education, and poverty rates are high. Poverty contributes to food insecurity in many households. Household food insecurity contributes to malnutrition, morbidity, and mortality, particularly in children. Policies are made to tackle a particular identified social problem. In 1995, the DOH introduced the Integrated Nutrition Program (INP) to deal with malnutrition in this country. The Health Systems Trust (HST) is an independent NGO which was established in 1992 to support the transformation of the South African healthcare system. The HST implements the community component of the INP with the aim to contribute to household food security and health status of children under the age of 5 years (INP Progress Report 2002/3: 3). The purpose of the study is to identify policy implementation issues as identified by the literature, particularly the literature on policy networks, while analyzing the implementation of the INP. The key focus of this study is policy implementation. It particularly looks at policy networks as forums for policy making and implementation. It looks at interactions between government and non-governmental organisations, more particularly the DOH and HST and their networking with other organisations. A qualitative methodology was used because, as Marlow (1993:67) argues, a qualitative approach may be more effective because the answers can provide a detailed description of the program. Primary and secondary data was collected from the DOH as well as the HST. Purposive sampling was applied where participants were selected on the basis of their relevance to the study. Interviews were held with key informants. A structured questionnaire was designed for the key participants at the HST as well as the key participants of the DOH. The implementation of the INP by the DOH and HST is an illustration of a policy network in action. The study on the HST's implementation of the INP emphasizes that government cannot afford to ignore the contribution NGOs have made and continue to make in service delivery 'because of their cost effectiveness and ability to engage people at the grassroots level, especially in remote areas' (Taylor, cited in Camay and Gordon, 2002:37). Factors which contribute to network failure, according to Kickert et al (1997:9) include: a lack of incentives to cooperate and the existence of blockades to collective action; proposed goals may be vague; important actors may be absent, while the presence of other actors may discourage the participation of necessary actors; crucial information about goals, means and actors may be lacking; discretionary power may be absent; and the absence of commitment of actors to the common purpose. All the above were evident in the implementation of the INP. The implementation of the INP is for the most part successful. The issue is about whether it is a relationship which will be able to endure and overcome its existing weaknesses thereby sustaining the delivery of an integrated nutrition program. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2007.

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master’s Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2018. / Background Currently, chiropractic is not incorporated into the South African public healthcare sector despite its emphasis on the values of wellness and health. This is due to a poor relationship with mainstream medical practitioners, the construct of chiropractic education and its long standing isolation within the healthcare system within South Africa. The public healthcare sector in South Africa is strained. Low back pain is one of the main reasons patients seek medical attention from primary medical doctors. A growing body of evidence is now emerging which supports the role of chiropractic in post-­surgical rehabilitation and the treatment of extraspinal non-­pathological musculoskeletal conditions. Based on the findings of these studies, an argument could be made for the transition of chiropractic from a mainly private practice base to one that would enable it to reach to the wider population in the public healthcare sector. Aim The aim of the research study was to explore and describe the perceptions that chiropractors have about the integration of the chiropractic profession into the South African public healthcare sector. Method A descriptive exploratory qualitative approach was used to guide the study. In-­ depth interviews were conducted with ten chiropractors within the eThekwini municipality. The main research question for this study was “What are the perceptions of chiropractors in the eThekwini Municipality on the integration of chiropractic into the public healthcare sector of South Africa?” The data was analysed through thematic analysis. Results The main themes that emerged were the role of chiropractic in the healthcare system, the integration of chiropractic into the healthcare sector and the challenges facing chiropractors in the healthcare system. The themes and sub-­ themes were as follows;; • Theme 1 Role of chiropractic in the healthcare system Sub-­theme 1.1 Primary contact for neuromuscular medicine. • Theme 2 Integration of chiropractors into the public healthcare sector Sub-­theme 2.1 Relief of overworked healthcare workers. Sub-­theme 2.2 Decrease costs in surgical and medication use. Sub-­theme 2.3 Increased learning opportunities. Sub-­theme 2.4 Use of chiropractic in post-­surgical care. Sub-­theme 2.5 Need for pre-­surgical assessment. Sub-­theme 2.6 Integration facilitated by the Chiropractic Association of South Africa (CASA). • Theme 3 Challenges facing chiropractors in the public healthcare sector Sub-­theme 3.1 Opposition from medical doctors. Sub-­theme 3.2 Opposition from within the chiropractic profession. Sub-­theme 3.3 Inability to function as the primary practitioners. Sub-­theme 3.4 Unfamiliar structure of the public health care sector. Conclusion A lack of clarity on the identity and role of chiropractic in the public healthcare sector emerged from the findings of this study. Individual chiropractors, the professional body (CASA) and the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) need to engage in active roles in the integration of chiropractic into the public healthcare sector of South Africa. / M

Information Security is becoming a part of the core business processes in every organization. Companies are faced with contradictory requirements to ensure open systems and accessible information while maintaining high protection standards. In addition, the contemporary management of Information Security requires a variety of approaches in different areas, ranging from technological to organizational issues and legislation. These approaches are often isolated while Security Management requires an integrated approach. Information Technology promises many benefits to healthcare organizations. It helps to make accurate information more readily available to healthcare providers and workers, researchers and patients and advanced computing and communication technology can improve the quality and lower the costs of healthcare. However, the prospect of storing health information in an electronic form raises concerns about patient privacy and security. Healthcare organizations are required to establish formal Information Security program, for example through the adoption of the ISO 17799 standard, to ensure an appropriate and consistent level of information security for computer-based patient records, both within individual healthcare organizations and throughout the entire healthcare delivery system. However, proper Information Security Management practices, alone, do not necessarily ensure regulatory compliance. South African healthcare organizations must comply with the South African National Health Act (SANHA) and the Electronic Communication Transaction Act (ECTA). It is necessary to consider compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to meet healthcare international industry standards. The main purpose of this project is to propose a compliance strategy, which ensures full compliance with regulatory requirements and at the same time assures customers that international industry standards are being used. This is preceded by a comparative analysis of the requirements posed by the ISO 17799 standard and the HIPAA, SANHA and ECTA regulations.

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Globalization is changing the face of health concerns worldwide and states are reacting by modifying their foreign policies to keep up with the resultant challenges and opportunities. The purpose of this study is to investigate, using the case studies of South Africa and Norway, the similarities and differences in how emerging and traditional middle powers respectively approach the new foreign policy phenomenon of health diplomacy. The study is interested in the reasons for how and why these similarities and differences manifest themselves in practice. Health diplomacy is a multifaceted concept which envelops negotiation involving health in a number of different concerts and across a wide spectrum of actors. Despite its novelty within the fields of both Global Health Governance and International Relations, the literature offers limited but sufficient frameworks that have utility for its study. The study surveys the literature on middle powers, and its sub-categories of emerging and traditional middle powers. Whilst identification with the middle power category requires the fulfilment of a number of criteria, this further categorization is made on the background of both quantifiable and behavioural characteristics, making their respective members’ inclinations and rationales for engaging in specific foreign policy types typically divergent on a number of issues. The two countries selected for case studies, South Africa and Norway, are generally regarded as exemplars of the two respective middle power categories. In these case studies the health diplomacy of these countries is assessed on the basis on the frameworks developed in the first half of this study, serving as the empirical foundation upon which the subsequent analysis is based. The findings speak volumes both for the two different middle power types and for the respective case study states. A common emphasis on multilateralism is one unsurprising similarity, as middle powers of both types tend to share this general preference in their foreign policy undertakings. However, as South Africa’s health diplomacy is nascent and Norway’s well-developed, divergences are obvious in terms of what strategies the respective countries use in order to gain the international influence that they covet. Furthermore, domestic and regional issues clog the agendas of emerging middle powers, whilst traditional ones enjoy stability in this regard and are able to seek opportunities elsewhere. These characteristics are exemplified in an extreme sense in South Africa, where a genuine health crisis is ravaging the country; conversely, in Norway, domestic issues are relatively minor, and niche diplomacy has bred massive success. At bottom, health diplomacy is a significant nascent area of interest within International Relations broadly, and in niche diplomacy and global health governance specifically, and demands further study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Globalisering verander wêreldwyd die aard van gesondheidsoorwegings en state reageer hierop deur hul buitelandse beleide aan te pas om tred te hou met die gevolglike uitdagings en geleenthede. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die ooreenkomstige en verskille duidelik te stel van hoe ontluikende en tradisionele middelmoondhede (met Suid-Afrika en Noorweë as onderskeidelike voorbeelde) die nuwe buitelandse beleidsfenomeen van gesondheidsdiplomasie benader. Die studie stel belang in die redes waarom en hoe hierdie ooreenkomste en verskille in die praktyk manifesteer. Gesondheidsdiplomasie is ‘n veelkantige konsep wat onderhandelings aangaande gesondheid in verskillende kontekste en oor ‘n wye spektrum akteurs heen omvat. Ondanks die nuutheid van beide Globale Gesondheidsregering en Internasionale Betrekkinge as studievelde, bied die literatuur beperkte maar voldoende raamwerke aan vir die doel van hierdie studie. Die tesis bied ‘n oorsig van die literatuur aangaande middelmoondhede, sowel as die subkategorieë van ontluikende en tradisionele middelmoondhede. Alhoewel lidmaatskap van die middelmoondheid kategorie die bevrediging van ‘n paar kriteria vereis, word hierdie verdere kategorisering gemaak teen die agtergrond van beide kwantifiseerbare en gedragspatrone, en dit maak hul onderskeie lede se oorwegings en beweegredes i.t.v. buitelandse beleidstipes uniek oor ‘n hele paar kwessies heen. Die twee state waarop besluit is as gevallestudies, Suid-Afrika en Noorweë, word algemeen beskou as kernvoorbeelde van die twee onderskeie middelmoondheid kategorieë. In hierdie gevallestudies word die gesondheidsdiplomasie van die twee state oorweeg aan die hand van raamwerke wat in die eerste helfte van die studie ontwikkel word, en dit dien dan as die empiriese ondersteuning vir die analise wat daarop volg. Die bevindings spreek boekdele beide oor die twee verskillende middelmoondheid tipes en vir die onderskeie gevallestudie state. ‘n Gedeelde fokus op multilateralisme is een onverrassende ooreenkoms, aangesien alle middelmoondhede hierdie voorkeur in hul buitelandse beleidsondernemings openbaar. Maar tog, aangesien Suid-Afrika onluikend is en Noorweë goed-ontwikkeld is, is uiteenlopendheid bespeurbaar i.t.v. die strategieë wat die onderskeie state gebruik ten einde die internasionale invloed te kry waarna hulle op soek is. Voorts verlangsaam plaaslike en streekskwessies die agendas van ontluikende middelmoondhede, terwyl tradisionele middelmoondhede in hierdie verband stabiliteit geniet, en dit dan moontlik word vir lg. om elders geleenthede te ondersoek. Sodanige kenmerke is duidelik in Suid-Afrika, waar ‘n ernstige gesondheidskrisis die land verlam; in Noorweë, aan die ander kant, is plaaslike uitdagings nie ernstig nie, en nisdiplomasie word met groot sukses onderneem. Die kernboodskap van die studie is dat gesondheidsdiplomasie ‘n beduidende nuwe ondersoekveld is binne Internasionale Betrekkinge in die algemeen, en dan spesifiek in nisdiplomasie en globale gesondheidsregering, en dit vereis verdere studie.

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for a Master’s Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / South Africa has a dual healthcare system which consists of the public and private healthcare sectors. The private healthcare sector is used by a small percentage of South Africans as its services are more expensive. It makes provision for both allopathic and Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) practitioners. In contrast, the public healthcare sector employs only allopathic practitioners. Due to its services being rendered free of charge or at very low cost, it caters for the majority of the population and as a result has become overburdened. South Africa’s healthcare system is undergoing major changes in order to ease the burden on the public sector. The integration of homoeopathy into this sector is a possible viable solution. In order to facilitate integration, homoeopathic practitioners should be in agreement with this radical change and suggest ways in which this paradigm shift can be initiated. Hence, the overall aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of homoeopathic practitioners on their role in the public healthcare system in South Africa. The paucity of research on the perceptions of homoeopathic doctors suggests that this is an unexplored topic. This study therefore employed a qualitative approach based on the grounded theory method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine homoeopathic practitioners’ perceptions of this phenomenon. Participants were selected using snowball sampling. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were also used to guide the selection of the research participants. The participants were interviewed individually using an interview guideline. Each interview was audio recorded and transcribed prior to data analysis. Once transcribed, the data was evaluated and analyzed manually. Four commons themes emerged from the data. The prevalence, frequency and variation (in the frequency) of each theme amongst the participants was established. Further analysis revealed links between all four themes. It was evident that knowledge/awareness of homoeopathy, the homoeopathic education system and the in-practice experiences of homoeopathic doctors all influence integration. These factors represented homoeopathic practitioners’ perceptions on such integration. The identification of the factors that influence integration is a clear indication that the homoeopathic practitioners who participated in this study are aware of their role in the public healthcare system and that the majority would welcome a shift from the private to the public healthcare sector. There is thus a need for further nationwide and more in-depth research on integration. / M