Assessing Costs of PHC Services in an Urban District

One pillar of the government health policy has been defined as a dual move towards on the one hand the development of Primary Health Care Services, and on the other hand the development of the District Health System, as the organisational framework which will facilitate and support PHC services.

As part of the drive towards Primary Health Care, the Department of Health developed a Core Package of Primary Health Care Services to be implemented incrementally across the country. However, the financial implications of this package were developed from a theoretical model, and were challenged. This study focuses on a district in an urban area in the Western Cape, district that already renders the scope of services outlined in the Core Package. An assessment of the cost of rendering PHC services is thus carried out from an actual, by opposition to a theoretical, basis.

As is the situation in most districts, or will-be districts, in urban areas, PHC services are not integrated and are still delivered by different authorities: local authorities and provincial services.