Comparative costs of mobile and fixed-clinic primary health care services.

With restructuring and rationalisation of health services in South Africa imminent, the development of methods for comparing and evaluating health services is of great importance at both national and local level, including comparisons of cost-efficiency and cost-effectiveness. The costs of different methods of delivering primary health care in a local authority through mobile and fixed-clinic services have been analysed and aspects of their cost-efficiency compared. The information gained from such an analysis can be used for management purposes to optimise both the use of resources and the quality of service provided at local level.