Policy

The publication of this Health Review forms an important milestone in health systems reform in South Africa and serves three important functions. First, it presents available information about health and health care in a systematic and comprehensive manner. In doing so, it provides an instrument whereby the implementation of new health policies can be evaluated periodically. Second, it critiques policy developments in the health sector in an attempt to document progress and identify resolved and unresolved policy questions. Third, it helps formulate a research agenda to address and clarify unclear policy issues.

On May 24, 1994, the State President declared that all health care for children under the age of six years, and pregnant women would be free. The purpose of this policy was to improve access to health care for women and children by removing the barrier of health services fees.

In this issue, we present views of a number of stakeholders on the legislative process, most notably from the National Department of Health and the National Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health. We also present the views of non-government organisations and an unrepresentative sample of e-mail respondents to a questionnaire we sent out to our HealthLink users. From this, we hope to give you the reader a snapshot view of the possible interaction between civil society and this important legislative process.

Debates about the extent to which research influences public health policies are well worn. One of the many common complaints from researchers is that findings from scientifically sound research are regularly ignored by policy makers. In turn, policy makers complain that research does not address their problems and issues, and findings are not available timeously. Can something be done about this? Are there ways of making health research more responsive to the needs of policy makers and making policy makers more amenable to the needs of researchers?