To examine the availability, accessibility and utilization of health care services in a rural area - Ndwedwe.

Abstract

The study attempts to investigate the availability, accessibility and utilization of health care services in a rural area. The study has been conducted in one of the rural areas (Ndwedwe) in the Province of KwaZulu Natal (Durban) near the town called Verulam. The Ndwedwe area consists of a population of about 170 000 and the number of households is hard even to estimate because of the geographical setting of the area. The study has been conducted at the centre of the entire area called Ndwedwe central w!:lere the Ndwedwe municipality is located. Most of the people spend most of the time in this area because it has most of the services that are needed by the community. The questionnaires administered and the interviews conducted were systematic because in all the sixteen areas, interviews were conducted (at least two ihterview encounters in one area consisting of the entire Ndwedwe area) and questionnaires were administered the same way. The findings show that the majority of people in the Ndwedwe area do not have enough health care service institutions and the very services are not equally and evenly distributed amongst areas that constitute the entire Ndwedwe area.