Cape Town, South Africa resides on the Southeast coast of Africa, and is known for its stunning views, booming economic and cultural hub, and beautiful harbor. However, did you know that South Africa seeks to join nine other African countries in mandated universal healthcare coverage? Cape Town, as the country’s legislative capital, is leading the charge towards universal healthcare coverage in South Africa, but the path is a challenging one.
Deanna Wilbourn (3rd year, Global Public Health), Olivia Yang (2024 BA Interdisciplinary major, 1st year MPH), Sona Kalatardi (2024 BA Cognitive Science and Global Public Health graduate), and Rita Wang (2024 BA Biology graduate) joined Dr. Rajesh Balkrishnan, UVA Professor of Public Health Sciences, on a trip to Cape Town, South Africa to learn first-hand about the challenges being faced by the South African public health system as it navigates implementing universal healthcare coverage. The students spent a few weeks of their summer conducting research, attending seminars, and shadowing patient clinics to better understand this healthcare system inside and out.
Some highlights of the trip include visiting the Stellenbosch Tygerberg Hospital, a community-based health center that provides free services to the local population. Here the students were able to shadow faculty and directly observe the inner workings of the South African medical system. The group also attended lectures and seminars at Stellenbosch University (hosted by Dr. Moodley and Dr. Hassan), where our very own Dr. Balkrishnan presented two seminars that were well attended by students, faculty members, and public health professionals alike. The trip concluded with a visit to the University of Western Cape School of Public Health, where spirited discussions about the challenges faced by public health systems globally were hosted by Dr. Olagoke Akintola.
The trip was illuminating, eventful, and eye-opening, and after its conclusion the students prepared a detailed report entitled, “Current Public Health Systems and Challenges in South Africa: Recommendations for Future Health Policy”, which explains their findings and suggestions from this immersive educational experience. Dr. Balkrishnan noted, “The UVA team had a wonderful enlightening experience at Stellenbosch University and University of the Western Cape, and we are excited about our current and future work with our partners.”
The team would like to acknowledge and thank the UVA Center for Global Health Equity (CGHE) for providing funding for the trip.
