Access to health care facilities during COVID-19: probing experiences of Ntabeni a rural community in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
Anthropologists have critically taken an interest in studying the political economy of health and
healthcare of people especially in forgotten communities. This incorporates admittance to medical
care offices and reception of medical care. While they concur that the South African public medical
care framework has gone through key changes, they also agree that the implementation or the
realization of such important policies have become fragmented, and exacerbated inequalities in
relation to access to health care and related facilities. This happens at the heart of solid
constitutional and legislative policy frameworks which are in place to guarantee the right to access
to healthcare. These constitutional and legislative provisions of guaranteed health care access
remain a panacea and, as a result, most poor people are still unable to enjoy this international
human right to health care and health facilities. The unprecedented arrival of COVID-19 brought
South African health inequalities to light as most people could not access medical health care and
health facilities at the time of their need. This qualitative study titled “Access to health care
facilities during COVID-19: Probing the experiences of Ntabeni, a rural community in
Pietermaritzburg, KZN”, draws on critical contributions of anthropology as a field of study and
uses two theoretical frameworks, namely, social constructivism and access theory, as guidelines
for the study. Data was collected from thirty (30) purposely sampled participants from the Ntabeni
community. The recruitment included both males and females that were deemed fit to participate
in the study as guided by ethical considerations of the study. Research findings revealed that the
community of Ntabeni could not access health care during the COVID-19 lockdown levels 5 and
4 restrictions in South Africa, and this took a toll on their health. COVID-19 and lockdown
regulations/restrictions exacerbated inequalities because poor community members of Ntabeni
encountered barriers of affordability, accommodation, awareness, availability and accessibility of
health care and facilities. Community members of Ntabeni felt excluded as human beings and as
voters who were promised access to free medical health care. The study recommends that: the
department of health should prioritize health and access to health care and facilities for the Ntabeni
Community which is caged by poverty, unemployment and many health issues. These issues
threaten the survival right of all human beings. Government should remove user fees at public
hospitals to maximize access to health care and facilities for indigent people. The provision of a
wellness or mobile clinic should be expedited as they will also accommodate those who cannot
cater for their medical needs. This will make health services more accessible and affordable.
Future anthropological research is needed to understand the factors that inhibit communities from
accessing universities and contributing to the high rate of unemployment. Other studies could
potentially look at the impact of the Msunduzi Integrated Development Planning, which is
supposed to positively impact the lives of the members of Ntabeni community in terms of their
socio-economic needs.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.