Studies Highlight Uneven Drug Provision in South Africa

New international studies confirm that drug provision in South Africa remains highly uneven, with wide disparities between wealthy urban areas and poor rural and urban zones. The country's US$2.8bn pharmaceuticals market remains plagued by inequality, but important reforms in recent years have improved the outlook.

Since the election of the ANC government in 1994, South African healthcare has shifted away from tertiary care and medical research to primary care, which had suffered years of neglect and hospital budget cuts. The studies note that only now are black townships starting to obtain a recognisably modern, although still basic, health service.

However, low levels of provision are commonplace in rural areas. Despite this gloomy picture, it is expected that 2003's Medicines and Related Substances Amendment Act heralds a more modern, Western-style pharmaceuticals market. Nevertheless, as recent press reports have indicated, misinformation and distrust over the country's largest single health threat, HIV/AIDS, poses the greatest risk to the advancement of the drug market.