Broomberg J, Chetty K S, Masobe P
Department of Community Health, School of Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
S Afr Med J. 1992 Nov;82(5):329-34.
This paper is the first of two that examine the present and the future role of private hospitals in South Africa. Part I describes the current structure and size of the private hospital sector, and analyses recent trends in the number and distribution of beds and hospitals, expenditure patterns, and utilisation of care. These observations are used as the basis for an analysis of the present role of the private hospital sector. It is argued that this sector is an important potential national resource for health care. However, the present contribution of private hospitals to national health care is limited by several factors. Access to a large proportion of these hospitals is restricted to those who can afford to pay, while the economic inefficiency and geographical maldistribution of fee-for-service and charity hospitals compound the negative effect private hospitals have on the public health sector. The gap between the potential contribution of private hospitals and current reality provides a strong argument for the development of a national policy that will improve the situation.
本文是关于南非私立医院当前及未来作用的两篇系列论文中的第一篇。第一部分描述了私立医院部门的当前结构和规模，并分析了床位及医院数量与分布、支出模式以及医疗服务利用方面的近期趋势。这些观察结果被用作分析私立医院部门当前作用的基础。文中指出，该部门是医疗保健领域重要的潜在国家资源。然而，私立医院对国家医疗保健的当前贡献受到若干因素的限制。大部分此类医院的服务对象仅限于有支付能力者，而按服务收费医院和慈善医院的经济低效及地理分布不均，又加剧了私立医院对公共卫生部门的负面影响。私立医院的潜在贡献与当前现实之间的差距，有力地证明了制定一项改善这种状况的国家政策的必要性。
