| dc.description.abstract | Families remain a major social support system that plays a key role in the provision of primary
healthcare (PHC) for children, and this role is especially important as PHC would normally
take place before a child is taken to hospital for further treatment. The literature shows that
although families have a direct influence on their children’s PHC, the former’s role is limited
as a result of socio-economic factors such as poverty, unemployment and distance to healthcare
centres. In South Africa, PHC is offered by the state but is of a lower standard than the more
specialised, ‘hi-tech’ health services available in the private sector. Although the public health
sector is over-stretched and under-resourced, the government has established PHC facilities in
many locations throughout South Africa. This status quo requires families to play a role by
knowing the locations of such facilities in order to maintain their children’s health. The
provision of primary health in South Africa is a two-tiered system that requires the involvement
of both families and healthcare providers. The results of the study indicated that there were
various interpretations of PHC by both parents and health professionals, owing to different
levels of knowledge about the concept. The lack of knowledge of the various forms of home
remedies greatly affected the application of PHC in terms of a need to appreciate PHC practices
in the family setting; and health professionals need to disseminate knowledge to parents on a
routine basis as part of their work at hospitals. The findings furthermore suggested that parents
and healthcare workers faced various challenges in the provision of PHC. The implications of
the study pointed to the need for a more extensive study that engaged a high number of
participants of both parents and healthcare professionals to place the results into perspective.
Other implications required a concerted effort from government, parents, healthcare
professionals and other stakeholders to arrive at a prudent and logical improvement of PHC in
South Africa. | en_US |
