Southern African Journal of Public Health - October 2022 - vol 6 no 1

Introduction

Impact of workplace violence towards public service emergency care providers on access to emergency medical care in Gauteng Province, South Africa

Access to healthcare is a Constitutional right enshrined under section 27 of the Constitution of South Africa (SA). In line with the Constitution, the National Department of Health’s mission is focused on equity, efficiency and access to improve healthcare delivery systems. In addition, SA’s National Development Plan aspires to provide efficient and equitable quality healthcare, and precedes the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.8, which aspires for the realisation of access to effective and affordable quality healthcare for all. Despite these comprehensive policy entitlements, socioeconomically disadvantaged population groups are more likely to experience declining health status, multimorbidities and disability in SA. SA’s healthcare system is an unequal, two-tier system that consists of a public and private sector that unequally share 8.5% of the total gross domestic product (GDP). In Gauteng Province, 75% of the total population are non-members of medical aid schemes and depend on state-funded emergency medical care (EMC). Gauteng Emergency Medical Services (GEMS) is a state-funded provincial emergency medical service directly responsible for the provision of EMC to 75% of Gauteng’s total population.

Acceptance and choices of family planning methods of post-delivery women in a midwife obstetric unit in South Africa

Family planning is one of the most cost-effective and powerful public health interventions in saving lives of women and newborns globally. Reliable and effective contraceptive methods offered and accepted in the postpartum period are of the utmost importance. Accepting a quality contraceptive method is known to reduce maternal and childhood mortality and morbidity. It aids in optimising the intervals between pregnancies and is associated with minimising adverse neonatal outcomes such as morbidity and mortality. In addition, the use of postpartum contraception has the potential to reduce unplanned and unwanted pregnancies that are associated with delays in initiating antenatal care (ANC), the probability of not breastfeeding, and postpartum depression of mothers. It also allows women to lead healthier lifestyles and provides opportunities to establish a career, thus reducing poverty and enabling independence, empowerment and the economic well-being of women and the family. It allows women to control birth spacing and size of the family, and for children to develop physically, mentally and emotionally well.

Mothers’/caregivers’ knowledge on aetiology, prevention and management of acute diarrhoea among children under 5 years in Engela District, Namibia

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diarrhoea is defined as the passage of three or more loose or watery stools in 24 hours. According to various reports, 12 million children die every year in developing countries before reaching their fifth birthday. The most common causes of death are acute respiratory tract infection, diarrhoeal diseases and malnutrition. Diarrhoea remains one of the leading causes of child morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The burden of diarrhoea deaths is disproportionately shared between low- and middle-income countries. However, almost 50% of these deaths are reported in sub- Saharan Africa. After establishing the United Nations Millennium Development Goal 4 in 2000, diarrhoea morbidity declined annually by 6.5%, but mortality due to diarrhoeal disease remains high. In 2015, 9% of all child deaths were due to diarrhoea. The WHO states that diarrhoea can be prevented through adequate sanitation and drinking safe water, and effectively treated at home with oral rehydration salts (ORS) or with a clear water, sugar and salt solution. Additionally, supplemental treatment with zinc 20 mg tablets improves the outcome.