Issue

Vol. 19 No. 2 (2015): African Sociological Review

6 - Health Inequality in South Africa: A Systematic Review

https://doi.org/10.57054/asr.v19i2.3739
Chinwe C. Obuaku-Igwe
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7529-6924

Corresponding Author(s) : Chinwe C. Obuaku-Igwe

obuaku@yahoo.com

African Sociological Review, Vol. 19 No. 2 (2015): African Sociological Review

Abstract

This study presents a review of key empirical studies on health inequalities in South Africa
with the aim of contributing to a comparative examination of social inequalities in health
across different countries in Europe and other parts of the World. Studies reviewed were
identified through a computerised search of key words such as inequalities, health, health
inequalities, race, health in South Africa, health systems, socio-economic determinants of health
and livelihoods in South Africa. Studies were included if the primary objective was to explore
health inequality as a variable in child/adult mortality.

Keywords

Health inequality race child mortality socio-economic conditions South Africa
Chinwe C. Obuaku-Igwe. (2015). 6 - Health Inequality in South Africa: A Systematic Review. African Sociological Review, 19(2), 96–131. https://doi.org/10.57054/asr.v19i2.3739
Download Citation
Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
BibTeX
References
  1. Evans T, Whitehead M, Diderichsen F. et al Introduction. In: Evans T, Whitehead M, Diderichsen F, Bhuiya A, Wirth M, eds. Challenging inequalities in health: from ethics to action. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013–11.11 The world health report (2000). Health systems: improving performance. Geneva, World Health
  2. Organization, 2000.
  3. World Health Organization (2006). Quality of care: A Process for Making Strategic Choices in Health Systems. WHO, France 1998). The pursui Howso of global health: the relevance of engagement for developed countries. Lancet 1998351586–590.590
  4. Foege W (1998). Global public health: targeting inequities. JAMA 19982791931– 1932.1932 European Commission (2013). Health inequalities in the EU — Final report of consortium. Consortium lead: Sir Michael Marmot. Published by the European Commission Directorate-General for Health and Consumers.
  5. ISBN 978-92-79-30898-7,doi:10.2772/34426 http://ec.europa.eu/health/social_determinants/docs/healthinequalitiesineu_2013_en.pdf
  6. BENATAR, S (2013). The challenges of health disparities in South Africa. South African Medical Journal, [S.l.], v. 103, n. 3, p. 154-155, jan. 2013. ISSN 2078-5135. Available at:<http://www.samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/ view/6622/4918>. Date accessed: 05 May. 2015. doi:10.7196/samj.6622.
  7. Human Rights Watch. “Stop Making Excuses.” Accountability for Maternal Health Care in South Africa.
  8. Johannesburg: Human Rights Watch. http://www.hrw. org/reports/2011/08/08/stop-making-excuses Mackenbach J (2006). Health inequalities: Europe in profile. London: Department of Health.
  9. Mackenbach J, Willem J, Anton K (2007). Economic implications of socio-economic inequalities in health in the European Union. Published by European Communities.
  10. World health organization” Fact file :10 Facts On Health Inequities And Their Causes” http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/health_inequities/facts/en/index9.html
  11. National Planning Commission (2011). National Development Plan Vision for 2030. Pretoria: National Planning Commission, http://www.npconline.co.za/medialib/downloads/home/NPC%20National%20Development%20Plan%20 Vision%202030%20-lo-res.pdf.
  12. Leibbrandt M, Woolard I, Finn A (2010).Trends in South African Income Distribution and Poverty since the Fall of Apartheid. OECD Social, Employment and Migration. Working Papers, No. 101. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2010. [http:// dx.doi.org/10.1787/5kmms0t7p1ms-en] World Bank (2012). South Africa Economic Update: Focus on Inequality of Opportunity.
  13. World Bank, Washington DC.
  14. De Maio F, (2007) Income inequality measures. J Epidemiol Community Health. Oct;61(10):849-52.
  15. Review. PMID: 17873219 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ pmc/articles/PMC2652960/Bailey, S (2012). Measures of ‘‘Race’’ and the analysis of racial inequality in Brazil. Social Sci.
  16. Res.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2012.06.006 Goldsmith H, Hamilton D, Darity W (2006). Shades of discrimination: skin tone and wages. American Economic Review 96 (2), 242–245.
  17. Daynes S, Lee O (2008). Desire for Race. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Statistics South Africa (2012). http://www.statssa.gov.za/ Leibbrandt, M., Finn, A.,& Woolard, I. (2012). Describing an apartheid income inequality in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 29(1), 19-34 Hirschowitz, R., Orkin, M., de Castro, J., Hirschowitz, S., Segel, K., & Taunyane, L. (1995). A national household survey of health inequalities in South Africa. Overview report.
  18. Frye I, Farred G,& Nojekwa L (2008). Inequality in South Africa. unknown publication), website: http://www. osisa. org/sites/default/files/sup_files/chapter_4_-_ south_africa. pdf.
  19. Nattrass N & Seekings J (2001). “ Two Nations”? Race and Economic Inequality in South Africa Today.
  20. Daedalus, 45-70.
  21. Gelb, S. (2003). Inequality in South Africa: Nature, causes and responses. Edge Institute.
  22. Coovadia, H., Jewkes, R., Barron, P., Sanders, D., & McIntyre, D. (2009). The health and health system of South Africa: historical roots of current public health challenges. The Lancet, 374(9692), 817-834.
  23. Woolard, I. (2002). An overview of poverty and inequality in South Africa. Unpublished briefing paper, HSRC, Pretoria (living standards and ethnic inequality) Zeida R. Kon and Nuha Lackan. Ethnic Disparities in Access to Care in Post-Apartheid South Africa.
  24. American Journal of Public Health: December 2008, Vol. 98, No. 12, pp. 2272-2277.doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2007.127829
  25. Özler, B. (2007). Not separate, not equal: poverty and inequality in post‐apartheid South Africa.
  26. Economic development and cultural change, 55(3), 487-529 Demombynes, G., & Özler, B. (2005). Crime and local inequality in South Africa.
  27. Journal of Development Economics, 76(2), 265-292.
  28. Adato, M., Carter, M. R., & May, J. (2006). Exploring poverty traps and social exclusion in South Africa using qualitative and quantitative data. The Journal of Development Studies, 42(2), 226-247.
  29. Ataguba, J. E., Akazili, J., & McIntyre, D (2011). Socioeconomic-related health inequality in South Africa: evidence from General Household Surveys. Int J Equity Health, 10(1), 48.
  30. Gakidou EE, Murray CJL, Frenk J:(2000) Defining and measuring health inequality: an approach based on the distribution of health expectancy. Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 2000, 78:42-54.
  31. Ataguba J, McIntyre D(2009) Financing and benefit incidence in the South African health system: Preliminary results. Health Economics Unit, University of Cape Town Working Paper 09-1 2009.
  32. Coovadia H, Jewkes R, Barron P, Sanders D, McIntyre D(2009) The health and health system of South Africa: historical roots of current public health challenges. The Lancet 2009, 374:817-834.
  33. Ataguba JE, Akazili J (2010) Health care financing in South Africa: moving towards universal coverage. Continuing Medical Education 2010, 28:74-78. frican Governmnet (nd) Health http://www.gov.za/about-sa/health South A.
  34. Zere E, Moeti M, Kirigia J, Mwase T, Kataika E(2007) Equity in health and healthcare in Malawi: analysis of trends. BMC Public Health 2007, 7:78.
  35. Human Rights Watch. (2011) “Stop Making Excuses.” Accountability for Maternal Health Care in South Africa. Johannesburg: Human Rights Watch. http://www.hrw.org/reports/2011/08/08/stop-making-excuses
  36. Labonte R, Schrecker T. (2011).The state of Global Health in a radically unequal World: patterns and prospects. In: Benatar S, Brock G, eds. Global Health and Global Health Ethics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011:24-36.
  37. Bekker L (2009). An overview of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. Annual Review, Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation. Cape Town: Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, 2009:6-7.
  38. Ronelle B, Caryn B, Christelle G, Servaas B (2012) Have public health spending and access in South Africa become more equitable since the end of apartheid? Development Southern Africa Vol. 29, Iss. 5, 2012
  39. Stuckler D, Basu S, & McKee M (2011). Health Care Capacity and Allocations among South Africa’s Provinces: Infrastructure–Inequality Traps after the end of apartheid. American Journal of Public Health, 101(1), 165–172. http://doi. org/10.2105/AJPH.2009.184895.
  40. Harrison, D. (2009). An overview of health and health care in South Africa 1994–2010: Priorities, progress and prospects for new gains. Washington, DC: Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation.
  41. Wagstaff,Adam.(2002).Povertyandhealthsectorinequalities.BulletinoftheWorldHealth Organization, 80(2), 97-105. Retrieved May 15, 2015, from http://www.scielosp.
  42. org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0042-96862002000200004&lng=en&tlng=en.10.1590/S0042-96862002000200004.
  43. Ataguba, J. E.-O., & Alaba, O. (2012). Explaining health inequalities in South Africa: A political economy perspective. Development Southern Africa, 29(5), 756–764.
  44. http://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2012.730962
  45. Commission on Social Determinants of Health. Achieving health equity: from root causes to fair outcomes. Interim statement. Geneva: Commission on Social Determinants of Health, World Health Organization; 2007
  46. Castro-Leal F, Dayton J, Demery L, Mehra K(1999) Public social spending in Africa: Do the poor benefit? World Bank Research Observer 1999;14:49-72.
  47. Statistics South Africa (2009) Living Conditions of Households in South Africa 2008/2009.
  48. Statistics South Africa(2013) General Household Survey Groenewald P, Bradshaw D, Daniels J, Matzopoulos R, Bourne D, Blease D. (2008) Cause of death and premature mortality in Cape Town 2001-2006. Cape Town: City of Cape Town, South African Medical Research Council, University of Cape Town
  49. Gradín C (2013) Race, Poverty and Deprivation in South Africa J Afr Econ (2013) 22 (2): 187-238 first published online September 3, 2012 doi:10.1093/jae/ejs019 Leibbrandt M, Nicola B, Julia G and David L (2012) Education and Inequality: The South African Case. SADRU Working Paper Series Number 75
  50. Keswell, M. (2010) ‘Education and racial inequality in post-apartheid South Africa’, in P. Attewell and K. S. Newman (eds), Growing Gaps: Educational Inequality around the World. Oxford: Oxford University Press
  51. Erichsen, G. and J. Wakeford (2001) Racial Wage Discrimination in South Africa. Before and after the First Democratic Election, DPRU Working Paper, No 01/49, Development Policy Research Unit, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
  52. Opinion Piece “Healthcare Inequality South Africa’s New Apartheid – Vavi” October 30th 2014, SA breaking news. http://www.sabreakingnews.co.za/2014/10/30/healthcare-inequality-south-africas-new-apartheid-vavi/
  53. Goesling, B, & Firebaugh G (2004). The trend in international health inequality.
  54. Population and Development Review, 30(1), 131-146.
  55. Beckfield J, Olafsdottir S, & Elyas B (2013). Health Inequalities in Global Context American Behavioural Scientist August 2013 57: 1014-1039, first published on 3 doi:10.1177/0002764213487343
Read More

Author Biography

Chinwe C. Obuaku-Igwe

Dr Chinwe Obuaku-Igwe is lecturer and researcher at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. She has a PhD in Medical Sociology and has been responsible for Undergraduate and Postgraduate teaching with a specialisation in Medical/Sociology of Health. She has had substantial involvement in the mentoring, grants proposal writing, coaching and general retention of Sociology students at the University of the Western Cape. Her research explicates health and health care systems in Africa, rooting them in the politics and economics of the continent through the utilisation of an array of tools such as STATA, to analyse and test insights from data.
She is currently the President of the South African Sociological Association and a leading authority on African Health, health systems and Development. She is the author of Kakistocracy: An idiot's hilarious guide to Nigerian History. Her new books "New Perspectives on Access to Essential Medicines: Beyond Medications; and An Assets Based Approach to Mental Health Promotion in Africa, are set to be published in 2021

Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 92 Download : 21

Similar Articles

<< < 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.