The History of Health Care in South Africa Before The 1994 Constitution

The history of health care in South Africa begins in the early 1890s, with the founding of the South African District Health Board by the South African Parliament. The chair of the Board was a former governor of the Cape of Good Hope and a former minister of the interior.

The Board had its first patient in 1889, and for the first time in the history of South Africa, a hospital was established. This was the foundation of the country’s first public health care system. In the early 20th century, the boundaries of the province of Cape Province were defined according to the British government’s natural borders. South Africa was a British colony until 1877 when the British government passed the Frontier frieze, which divided the Cape Province into five administrative provinces.

The first official province to adopt the new boundaries was Province North, where the Cape Province’s boundaries converged with the Cape of Good Hope. In 1886, the geopolitical boundaries of the Cape Province were further defined by the creation of the new Cape Province Council. The Cape Province Council became the legislative body that ruled the province until the passage of the second constitution in 1887.

The second constitution established the Cape Province Council and Parliament as separate entities, and the Cape Province Council became the legislative body and executive governing body of the Cape Province.

In the wake of the 1994 Constitution, the modern version of South Africa created by the National Party government, health care in the country has undergone a rather dramatic transformation. Since then, several changes have been made that have had a profound impact on how the country views itself, its ability to provide quality, affordable health care, and access to quality healthcare. To give you an idea of the scope of these changes, the 1994 Constitution transformed the country into one of the world’s most developed and advanced health care systems. 

The history of health care in South Africa began in September 1994 when the new constitution was adopted. It resulted from a massive political and social movement called the ‘SACP’ (Sou context Afrikaans Party).

The SACP was a movement of mainly South African black citizens that opposed the National Party government’s plan to create a single black state. The national government wanted to retain control over all government institutions, including health service delivery. The SACP wanted healthcare to be one of those institutions. It wanted to ensure that black people had access to healthcare with no obstacles. 

In the wake of the 1994 Constitution, the modern version of South Africa created by the National Party government, health care in the country has undergone a rather dramatic transformation. Since then, several changes have been made.

The 1895 Constitution

The 1895 Constitution defined the boundaries of the Cape Province and the Orange River Estates. The Orange River Estates was the first tenuous confederacy of small eastern Cape Province settlements, and it was located to the west of the Cape. The boundaries of the Cape Province remained closely defined until the latter half of the 20th century when the Cape Provinces were officially divided into Cape Province West and Cape Province North. When the new constitution came into force in 1899, the Cape Province Council became the Cape Province Council of the new state. The new constitution also created the South African District Health Board, which was made unicameral with 100 seats and controlled by the South African Health Service. South African Health Service was established in 1899 to provide health services in the newly formed Cape Province, and it was the first national health service in South Africa. The South African District Health Board was created in 1903 to provide health services in the new Cape Province, and it became the first national health service in South Africa. The first national health service was established during the apartheid era in South Africa. This was when the country was fighting against the black minority in the population and in the armed forces, who were considered as dangerous as each other. In the early 20th century, the white majority in South Africa was determined to check the growing number of black people found in the population, the economy, and the military. To solve this problem, the white political leadership decided to create a National Health Service, which would provide health services to the entire country, including rural and urban areas. The National Health Service was established in 1924 and was the first major national health service in South Africa.

The 1897 Health Act

The 1897 Health Act established the National Health Board and the National Health Service in South Africa, which would become the foundation for the modern national health service. This act included a provision that patients in the National Health Service would be treated in all of South Africa’s public hospitals. There are 203 public hospitals and 98 private hospitals in South Africa. The National Health Board and the National Health Service were merged into one public body in the new constitution of 1944. In the new constitution, the National Health Service was given functions formerly performed by the South African District Health Board and the Cape Province Council of Health.

The formation of the South African District Health Board

The South African District Health Board was formed in 1944 by the merger of the South African District Health Board and the Cape Province Council of Health. The South African Parliament created the South African District Health Board in 1944 to address the growing demands for health services in the newly independent country. The new South African District Health Board was made up of physicians, oncologists, and scientists who had special expertise in diseases that might affect the population. In addition to providing primary health services, the South African District Health Board also provided secondary health services, including mental health services, education, and rehabilitation services. The South African District Health Board had its first patients in 1949, and it was the first public health service in South Africa to start operating under a single system. While the South African District Health Board was the first public health service in South Africa, it was followed by the South African National Health Service (SANDH) in 1952 and the first national health service in 1955. After the independence of South Africa in 1948, the colonial authorities allowed the formation of a national health service. They had also guaranteed the right of private enterprises to provide health services. However, the colonial government had also stipulated that the service should be limited in scope and that it should be financed by external sources only. After the Second World War, the demand for health services had grown, and the colonial health services were less than adequate in providing the necessary services. The medical profession, concentrated in Johannesburg, had few opportunities to expand its practice outside of the capital.

Moreover, the improvement in the country’s infrastructure made it possible for private healthcare to expand in the city. The Minister of Health, Mr. von Stumpen hausen, the head of the health department, recommended that the Commission review the existing health service. To this end, the Commission recommended that the South African District Health Board be merged into the South African National Health Service. The South African District Health Board was merged into the South African National Health Service in 1952.

The 1999 Health Facilities Development and Management Act

The South African Health Facilities Development and Management Act, which came into effect in 1999, created the South African National Health Service (SANDH), a national health service with various functions. Among them was the responsibility for expanding the former South African District Health Board Health Facilities Development and Management Act, which came into force in 1979, into a single national health service. The National Health Service remained the only national health service, and the functions of the former South African District Health Board were continued under a single entity. However, the scale of the new national health service was far greater than that of the former South African District Health Board, which consisted of 11 hospitals, one teaching hospital, and 167 health workers. The South African National Health Service also became the first health service to provide coverage to all South Africans by creating a new national health service.

South Africa’s First National Health Service

The South African National Health Service was expanded in 1999 with the opening of a new Central Bureau of Health Services (CNBHS) building in Cape Town. The CBHS system replaced the former South African District Health Service, replaced by the South African National Health Service in 1999. The new Central Bureau of Health Services was made up of the same personnel and was headed by the same physician as the old South African District Health Service. Central Bureau of Health Services was put in charge of delivering primary health services in the country, and it became the South African National Health Service. The former South African District Health Board — which had been merged into the South African National Health Service in 1999 — became the administrative wing of the Central Bureau of Health Services.

South Africa’s Peace and Order Commission

The South African Peace and Order Commission was established in 1973 to investigate and make order in the country. Its mandate was to promote stability and order in the country, and it acted as a check on the excesses of the previous administration. After the Second World War, the country had become increasingly patriarchal and quarrelsome, and the Commission had a major impact on improving community living standards.

The 2003 National Council on Health and Safety in the Workplace

The National Council on Health and Safety in the Workplace was established in 2003 to strengthen the functions of the National Health Service and improve the quality of life for working people. The Council was established to review the South African National Health Service (SANDH) and found significant improvement in the latter half of the 20th century. The achievements of the former were commendable, but the gains of the latter were more compelling. The Council was established to improve working people’s quality of life and promote health, safety, and health factors in the working environment. The Commission aimed to:

1. Promote an atmosphere of health and safety.
2. Promote the importance of informed and responsible behavior.
3. Bring employers and employees together for shared learning.
4. Strengthen the capacity for critical analysis and leadership in the civil service.

After the Commission was established, the South African National Health Service was transformed into a single, integrated national health service.

Conclusion

The history of health care in South Africa begins with the founding of the South African District Health Board in 1889, the first such body in the African world. The Board