Index indicates inefficiencies

SA ranks bottom in a list of 19 nations in a global survey that measures the ability of healthcare systems to deliver best results at lowest cost. This score is a result of average healthcare spend as a percentage of GDP.

SA’s efficiency ratio is the lowest of all the countries in this study (4.4 compared with the average of 10.5), indicating considerable inefficiencies.

The Future Health Index gives a view of how well a country’s healthcare system is set up for the future. It questioned 33,000 ordinary people and healthcare professionals about how they view healthcare in their country. It then compiled data from the reality of what citizens experienced and information from academic and nonprofit organisations.

According to the index, SA’s scores come in below average across all areas.

“Both perceptions and the reality of access to healthcare across the continuum are below the 19-country average in SA.

“This suggests that the population and healthcare professionals in SA perceive they have more access to healthcare than what is actually available and that there is opportunity to improve access to care further. SA’s lack of skilled healthcare professionals and high risk of impoverishing expenditure for surgical care hamper the access reality score, driving this gap.”