South Africa: Social Audit of Health Services, Gauteng, 2003-2004
The social audit of health services in Gauteng began in December 2003. Its key aims were to strengthen service delivery in the province by evaluating the availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of health services; assemble evidence for better planning and delivery of health programmes (in particular those related to HIV/AIDS prevention and health communication); and contribute to a supportive, rights-based environment (through identification of best practices) at provincial level.
Data from an intensive household-level survey of service users and non-users, together with information retrieved from institutional reviews of government health facilities, informed preliminary analysis. Fieldworkers raised key issues with gender-stratified focus groups with a view towards developing community-led solutions.