Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) is the official government body in South Africa that is mandated to
provide relevant statistical information that meets user needs. In order to achieve this, Stats SA conducts
censuses and household surveys that collect data from different sectors, which include the collection of
health information. Even though currently there is no dedicated health survey conducted by Stats SA,
information on health is collected through some of the household surveys in the organisation such as the
General Household Survey (GHS), the Income and Expenditure Survey (IES) and the Living Conditions
Survey (LCS). The organisation also acquires data from relevant administrative records, specifically data
on deaths and causes of death from the civil registration system in the country.
“A long and healthy life for all South Africans” is one of the twelve key outcomes that have been adopted
by the South African government. The country is also party to a number of international commitments
that aim at improving the general health status of populations, such as the Millennium Development
Goals. Accordingly, Stats SA has prioritised the collection and dissemination of health statistics in order
to contribute to the measurement of this key outcome, both at national and international levels, and to
expand the statistical information base on health statistics in the country.
Declining mortality in the recent past has been commended as one of the major achievements of the
health system in South Africa, specifically with regard to confrontation and management of, among
others, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, and high mortality of women and young children (Mayosi et al.,
2012). According to the Minister of Health, the decrease in mortality was largely attributed to improved
performance in the public health sector and other social determinants of health such as access to
housing, water and electricity (Motsoaledi, 2012).
The Department of Health (DoH) has established a national health insurance (NHI) plan, with the aim of
ensuring that everyone in the country has access to appropriate, efficient and quality health services
(DoH, 2011). The DoH further stated that the NHI will promote equity and efficiency so as to ensure that
all South Africans have access to affordable, quality healthcare services regardless of their socioeconomic
status. This insurance scheme will be phased-in over a period of 14 years and is currently
being piloted in 11 health districts, covering all the nine provinces in the country (Matsoso and Fryatt,
2013).
The National Planning Commission (NPC) also identified health as one of the nine key continuing
challenges in the country, including uneven performance of the public service (The Presidency, 2011).
Specifically, the NPC highlighted that the health system in South Africa is confronted by a massive
disease burden of HIV, injuries, infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. The commission
also stressed the importance of addressing gender and racial inequalities in the provision of public
services in the country