Policy Brief

The South African healthcare system hangs on the edge of a precipice. A combination of profit-seeking private healthcare entities, under investment from government has driven unfair practices in the South African (SA) healthcare sector. The poor treatment of healthcare workers has compromised the quality of healthcare, resulting in a healthcare system ill prepared for shocks such as COVID-19. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus and exacerbated a number of inequalities and fragilities that haunt the healthcare system and constrain it from delivering on its constitutional mandate.