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Healthcare in South Africa

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Submitted By lake5585
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Global Health has evolved over time in response to inequities resulting from racial, ethnic, economic, and other disparities among the world’s population. The World Health Organization and other global health response organizations, as well as individual governments define and gather relevant statistics that can assess a nations overall health status as compared to that of other nations. In doing so, the comparisons identify countries with high levels of negative health outcomes, how well they are being addressed, and what social, political, and economic factors contribute to such health disparities. South Africa is a nation that has complex health care needs and shortcomings even though it is the second wealthiest nation in Africa. Similar to the United States, with a health care system favoring those of certain ethnicities and social status, many others are left with healthcare that is inaccessible and unaffordable. However, the divide in South America is unlike any other nation. 2011 census data shows the majority of South African’s are African, at 79.2% of the population, colored and white, which make up 8.9%, and Indian and Asian races make up the remaining population at 2.5%. ("South Africa's population," 2014) South Africa is a nation that is infamous for the Apartheid movement that is one of the greatest examples of racial segregation in history. Poverty and inequality created by racial and gender segregation were meant to dismantle the divided social structures with the election of Nelson Mandela’s in 1994. Though the movement made progression relative the state of the affairs prior to his election, enormous gaps in wealth have remained among the black and rural communities relative to the white, urban population. South Africa is considered a middle-income nation, but health outcomes are worse than those of low-income nations in the region. The

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