T. Waterston et A. Zwi, HEALTH-PROFESSIONALS AND SOUTH-AFRICA - SUPPORTING CHANGE IN THE HEALTH SECTOR, BMJ. British medical journal, 307(6896), 1993, pp. 110-112
Now that political change is on the way in South Africa, what should b
e the position of doctors who are invited to visit the country? Does t
he ''academic boycott'' still have relevance? Waterston and Zwi review
the case for and against an academic boycott policy, using evidence c
ollected during the recent visit by Physicians for Human Rights (UK) a
nd the Johannes Wier Foundation. The health system in South Africa is
still inequitable, and despite progress towards desegregation in hospi
tals there is little momentum towards universal provision of primary h
ealth care, especially in the rapidly growing townships around big cit
ies. The authors consider that pressure on the government should be ma
intained by outside organisations but that support directed towards ap
propriate health care should be encouraged, particularly in public hea
lth and primary health care.