Publications
HST provides free electronic access to over 500 health systems research related reports, publications and papers. Close to 300 of these are publications that have been commissioned and funded by the Trust. Topics include among others district systems development, drug supply management, human resource development, informatics, legislation, finance, environmental health, mental health, lessons learnt, nutrition and sexually transmitted diseases / HIV/AIDS. The main publication of the HST is the annual South African Health Review. From 2005 all HST publications will be available in low resolution only. To explore the range of publications HST offers use the Advanced search to search using a variety of criteria.

South Africa spent over 30 billion rands on health services in 1992/93. This amounted to 8.5 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Its numbers of hospital beds and health personnel relative to population are average or only slightly below average for a country with its GDP per capita. However, the accessibility and quality of health services vary enormously across the country, with the poor, most of whom are African, receiving vastly inferior care.

The government has announced its intention to restructure the health services. The aim of this report is to provide the information on health finance and expenditure that it requires to manage the process of structural change. It is not a planning document, nor does it attempt to make policy recommendations. The report focuses largely on public sector health services, and in particular on the needs of the poor.