South African Health Review 2016

Abstract

I am pleased to introduce this 19th edition of the South African Health Review, published at a time of critical and farreaching changes in national and global health and human development. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals launched in 2015 represent a vision of health that embraces economic, social and environmental determinants, with a new agenda to uplift and protect “people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnership”. We all share the responsibility for comprehensive understanding and social action to alleviate and overcome South Africa’s quadruple burden of disease, prevailing threats to our natural world, and abiding socio-economic inequality. As South Africa contends with multiple challenges in adapting and refining our health system, the ideas that permeate this Review are centred, as ever, on the trials of health service delivery. One is struck by the progress made by the chapters’ authors towards identifying opportunities and solutions in response to the obstacles investigated. Producing this edition of the Review has been singularly demanding, and its successful completion is attributed to the insightful guidance, deft industry and ardent commitment invested by the authors, reviewers, Editorial Advisory Committee members, editorial team and administrative personnel who contributed to its creation. On behalf of the Board, I wish to express our gratitude to the teams for their production of another excellent edition of the South African Health Review and encourage them to continue with their good work. We are grateful to the South African National Department of Health for its steadfast support of this publication, thereby fostering much more than a contribution to intellectual capital and strategic development planning for health; this project helps to develop solidarity of purpose that offers hope for a healthy nation and an inclusive future.