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An Overview of the South African Healthcare Industry
Frost & Sullivan, Dec 2008, Pages: 110
Move to Expand Access to Healthcare Gains Momentum
Advances in medical technology are driving growth in the South African healthcare market. The introduction of less invasive technologies is leading to a greater number of procedures. Due to improved outcomes, doctors are more willing to perform certain procedures and patients are more willing to undergo certain treatments. Technological advances are reducing the risks associated with the performance of certain procedures, especially on older patients, resulting in more such procedures taking place. The pharmaceutical industry is moving towards ‘active social responsibility’. There is a strong notion towards enhanced accessibility of goods and services implying that future growth will strongly rely on volume and not price. Companies are adapting well to this change and moving into rural areas, educating nurses and making drugs available to those in need.
“There is a push towards establishing additional health facilities through public-private partnerships,” notes the analyst of this research. “Similar initiatives to expand access to healthcare services to a larger part of the population will drive healthcare in the future.” There is a strong trend towards promoting accessibility to healthcare in South Africa. Private sector groups are extending their services into rural areas. Community health education and awareness campaigns, especially on HIV/AIDS and smoking, are increasing and tests on diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension and cervical cancer are being provided in these communities. Social activities from private sector groups are also extending to academic grants and bursaries, youth development campaigns and donations towards public sector revitalisation programmes.
Effective Technology Development to Offset Skills Shortage in Healthcare Sector
However, the serious lack of healthcare professionals could lead to a severe crisis in the South African healthcare industry. Due to the political and economic uncertainties in the country, an increasing number of skilled people are emigrating. With healthcare in such great demand and access to healthcare services such a priority, it will be impossible to sustain the industry with no skill at hand. “A poorly managed public sector has resulted in limited access to services and goods in this sector,” cautions the analyst. “Since the public sector serves 80 per cent of the population, improved infrastructure is required to improve access and quality of services to the population with the latter relying to a great extent on human capital.”
Healthcare technologies are usually regarded as the major cause of the increased costs connected with healthcare services. However, this is a view that only focuses on rising expenditure in healthcare, rather than the benefits offered by improved healthcare. “The strain on existing staff can be decreased substantially with the implementation of technology – this will increase overall efficiency,” advises the analyst. “Competition amongst manufacturers is of no use unless they can develop effective solutions for the skills shortage.”
This Frost & Sullivan research service titled An Overview of the South African Healthcare Industry provides an overview of healthcare in the context of medical devices and pharmaceutical industries by discussing the key participants, their competitive stance and the factors influencing these companies’ performance. In this research, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following markets: pharmaceuticals (branded and generic drugs) and medical devices (medical imaging and patient monitoring).
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