Most of us 60 million ordinary South Africans use the government healthcare system. After all, only about 10 million South Africans belong to the medical-aid schemes that make private hospitals accessible to ordinary citizens. And this is not necessarily a bad thing.
There are pockets of excellence in the state system. The doctors and nurses you’ll see in the private sector are the same ones who once practised or still practise in the state (because all doctors are state-trained, and many remain there, at least part-time). It’s also only in the state healthcare system where you’ll see a team of specialists make peer-reviewed, academically based decisions, which is ideal for complex cases.
HOW DOES IT ALL WORK?
Dr Salome Mokgohloe Tshabalala, a Johannesburg-based obstetrician who worked in the government sector recently, explains how the process works there.
Most importantly, you don’t choose the hospital or clinic at which you’ll deliver
