Goal 1: Policy
New and existing policies are rural-friendly

The RHAP submitted its comment on the NHI Bill today. In our submission we argue that the NHI goals of equity and social justice in health and healthcare require distinct attention to the unique historical, socio-economic and service delivery context that deprived rural communities in South Africa are faced with on daily basis. Read about our r ...
Confronting the Right to Ethical and Accountable Quality Healthcare in South Africa: Lancet National Commission Consensus Report
RHAP’s new Director Russell Rensburg was one of the Commissioner’s of this high-level commission looking into the state of quality healthcare in South Africa. Introduction South Africa has made great strides since the end of apartheid in 1994 in improving overall population health and well-being, reflected in increased life expectan ...
From Green Paper to Final Policy: Has there been a change in how rural is considered in relation to the National Health Insurance process in South Africa
Download RHAP’s review here: NHI From Green to White Paper_ Review_RHAP_July2017 Since the publication of the NHI Green Paper in 2011, the Rural Health Advocacy Project (RHAP) and its rural health partners have engaged extensively with the NHI policy development and review process. This engagement has included providing comment on various ...
Health Market Inquiry Seminar: Proposed Regulatory Interventions for Licensing of Health Facilities
“..all healthcare providers – even private entities – will be performing a public function in the furtherance of equality, dignity and the right to access healthcare.” In order to facilitate dialogue around the licensing regime for healthcare facilities and the way it affects competition in the private healthcare sector, the Health ...
NEW! Annual Community Service Officer Update ‘ACUTE’ – 2018 Report
With this publication the RHAP launches the Annual Community Service Officer Update ‘ACUTE’ on the allocation of community service officers in South Africa. The purpose is to monitor whether the country is making progress with regards to meeting the intended purpose of community service which is to address the maldistribution of human resources ...
Towards Substantial Reform for Rural Health: In anticipation of the 2018 Budget Speech
By Russell Rensburg, RHAP Programme Manager: Health Systems and Policy In his inaugural state of the nation address, President Ramaphosa outlined a broad set of initiatives that focussed primarily on addressing the lapses in trust between the government and the people. The focus was on improving the credibility of the state and more specificall ...
Mandate Paper Budget 2018 – Department: Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
In 2016, Cabinet identified the need to strengthen the alignment of the South African Budget, the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) and the National Development Plan (NDP), and for budget prioritisation to focus on the last 24 months of the current administration. The Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the Nationa ...
Rural Health Resource Mapping Guide – Who Cares?
This guide, the RHAP Rural Health Resource Mapping Guide, a culmination of three years of research and stakeholder engagement, was developed for all policymakers, advocates, managers and stakeholders wishing to develop and influence policies, budgets and implementation plans that protect, promote and advance access to quality health care for ru ...
New Strategic Framework: 2017-2021
After a consultative process that included stakeholder consultations, internal and external evaluations, the RHAP Board has adopted the 5 year strategic framework for the period 2017-2021. Vision: Rural Communities Accessing Equitable and Quality Health Care Mission: Promoting, Protecting and Realising the Right to Rural Health Care by Connect ...
RHAP Submission on the Draft Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs 2017-2022
In this submission to SANAC, we identify critical gaps in the draft NSP and its treatment of rural contexts and communities. While many of the interventions aimed at targeting key and vulnerable populations will undoubtedly benefit rural communities, it is important to understand rural contexts do differ from urban contexts in key ways. Rural f ...