Financing antiretroviral treatment and primary health care services
Cleary, S.; Okorafor, O.; Chitha, W.; Boulle, A.; Jikwana, S.
South African Health Review 2005: 58-73
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 1025-1715 Document Number: 275803
This chapter focuses on estimating financial and human resource requirements for scaling up 2 key health programmes in South Africa: the Primary Health Care (PHC) and Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) programmes. Estimates are compared with current conditional grants in the case of ART or current estimated expenditure levels in the case of PHC services. Comparison shows that conditional grants are approximately sufficient to deliver ART to 50 000 patients by April 2005, but that budgetary constraints would be encountered if the programme meets the patient targets contained in the National Department of Health's Operational Plan for Comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care, Management and Treatment. Results from costing comprehensive PHC services show that national and provincial departments should aim to increase per capita spending to just over R 300 in order to provide rural and scarce skills allowances, increase community health workers and environmental health services, and meet target PHC utilization rates.