Public Sector In South Africa Research Articles

Nosocomial infections in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected children hospitalised for tuberculosis

Background The interaction between tuberculosis and HIV-infected infection is well known and is responsible for the increase in the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade. This places a considerable extra burden on health services. The Brooklyn Hospital for Chest Diseases (BCH) is a non-acute TB hospital for the City of Cape Town, South Africa. The hospital has 60 children’s beds and approximately 140 paediatric admissions annually. This study, undertaken before the availability of antiretroviral drugs in the public sector in South Africa, documents the occurrence of nosocomial infections in HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected children at BCH.

Medical Abortion: The Possibilities for Introduction in the Public Sector in South Africa

Medical abortion is safe and effective and has been approved for use in early termination of pregnancy in South Africa since 2001. The Department of Health is currently considering its introduction in the public health sector. The attitudes of women seeking abortion and of health care providers towards medical abortion have not previously been described. Data were derived from a quantitative survey of 673 women attending abortion services in the provinces of Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Western Cape. In-depth interviews in Soweto and Cape Town were conducted with 20 public health doctors, nurses, a social worker and facility managers, and in Cape Town with four provincial policymakers. Although medical abortion was not yet being offered, 21% of women interviewed were early enough in pregnancy (eight weeks or less) to be eligible for medical abortion. Access to health facilities, including those for abortion, was reasonable for urban women but more limited for rural women. Rural women also incurred greater travel costs to reach a facility. Most women thought medical abortion would be acceptable and would have been willing to try it, had it been available. Policymakers and providers were supportive, as they felt medical abortion could relieve the burden on current services. How to increase access to abortion services in rural areas needs to be addressed.

Provincial experiences in managing national policies on the transformation of the public service

This article deals with the North West experience of managing national transformation policies. It suggests that the absence of policy analysis skills and practice are major impediments to the implementation of policies. An improvement in policy analysis skills is essential if the government is to improve its performance. Stakeholder analysis, which clarifies a decision maker's strategic options, is another area which has received insufficient attention in the public sector in South Africa. Implementation problems in the North West Province include a lack of reliable data and information upon which to make decisions, which is in turn a consequence of an inadequate Management Information System. However, the problems of implementation cannot only be ascribed to poor management by provincial governments. National policies and directives are often imposed upon provinces without regard to their specific circumstances. Thus, for example, some heads of departments in the North West felt that the publication of the White Paper on the Transformation of Public Service was premature in that at most provinces lacked the capacity to implement its recommendations. A further problem relates to the fact that a number of policies have been initiated by national government with apparently little regard to the enormous financial obligations they impose upon provinces. For example, The Basic Conditions of Employment Act of 1997 imposes onerous overtime burdens upon provincial administrations. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Obstacles in establishing and operating a public sector internal auditing function in a developing country: The South African experience

The point of exit in this research is that there should be an internal audit department in a national government department in South Africa to render a top‐class internal auditing service that is cost‐effective and affordable, preferred by clients, continuously complies with the standards of professional practice of internal auditing and best practice and have a positive impact on the national government department’s bottom line. The empirical research has highlighted several factors, including the ignorance of key role players and lack of professional proficiency on the part of internal auditors, as factors that impede the establishment and operation of an internal auditing function in the public sector in South Africa. It is recommended, that audit committees in the public sector should launch a joint marketing action, directed at key role players, to promote the potential value of a top‐class internal auditing service in the public sector, as well as the factors that impede it.

The Application of the Economic Development Programme in the Public Sector of South Africa

The Application of the Economic Development Programme in the Public Sector of South Africa

INVESTMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR OF SOUTH AFRICA

South African Journal of EconomicsVolume 33, Issue 4 p. 279-297 INVESTMENT IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR OF SOUTH AFRICA G. W. G. BROWNE, G. W. G. BROWNESearch for more papers by this author G. W. G. BROWNE, G. W. G. BROWNESearch for more papers by this author First published: December 1965 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1813-6982.1965.tb02467.xCitations: 3Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume33, Issue4December 1965Pages 279-297 RelatedInformation