Alexandra Health Centre: Primary Care for an Impoverished Black Township in South Africa
Authors: C. David Naylor
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1988)

Abroad1 July 1988Alexandra Health Centre: Primary Care for an Impoverished Black Township in South AfricaC. David Naylor, MD, DPhilC. David Naylor, MD, DPhilSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-109-1-73 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptSince 1984, intensified opposition to white minority domination in South Africa has been met with a succession of authoritarian measures. Political violence flared during 1986 in many black urban areas, including Alexandra, a township of about 120 000 persons north of Johannesburg. In this difficult period, a privately organized primary care clinic, the Alexandra Health Centre, has continued its long record of service and has strengthened its ties to the community.The TownshipAn overcrowded slum located close to affluent white suburbs, Alexandra was targeted for demolition in the 1950s. Its inhabitants were to be forcibly resettled in the so-called...References1. Pillay P. Alexandra: an analysis of socio-economic conditions in an urban ghetto. Proceedings of the Second Carnegie Inquiry into Poverty and Development in Southern Africa, Cape Town, 13-19 April 1984: Conference Paper no. 19. Available from SALDRU, School of Economics, Robert Leslie Building, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa. Google Scholar2. HermanWyndham AC. Changes in infant mortality rates among whites, coloureds and urban blacks in the RSA over the period 1970-1983. S Afr Med J 1985;68:215-8. MedlineGoogle Scholar3. YachBotha DJ. Infant mortality rates in the RSA [Letter]. S Afr Med J. 1986;70:299. MedlineGoogle Scholar4. CooperShindlerMcCaul CJC. Race Relations Survey 1985. Johannesburg: South African Institute of Race Relations; 1986. Google Scholar5. Rumney R. Medical aids' malaise. Finance Week Johannesburg, 19-25 Feb. 1987;357-359. Google Scholar6. Benatar S. Medicine and health care in South Africa. N Engl J Med. 1986;315:527-32. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. . Interim Report on Hospitals and State Health Services. Pretoria: Government Printer; 1986:85. Google Scholar8. . Tussentyd Verslag oor die Koste per Hospitaalbed. Pretoria: Government Printer; 1985:118-120. Google Scholar9. Griffiths M. Causes of death in a rural hospital in 1983. S Afr Med J. 1985;68:578-82. MedlineGoogle Scholar10. Ijsselmuiden K. The nutritional status of inhabitants of the northern Gazankulu and the response of the health services. Proceedings of the Second Carnegie Inquiry into Poverty and Development in Southern Africa, Cape Town, 13-19 April 1984: Conference paper no. 208. Available from SALDRU, School of Economics, Robert Leslie Building, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa. Google Scholar11. Zwi A. Piecing together health in the homelands. Proceedings of the Second Carnegie Inquiry into Poverty and Development in Southern Africa, Cape Town, 13-19 April 1984: Conference paper no. 187. Available from SALDRU, School of Economics, Robert Leslie Building, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7700, South Africa. Google Scholar12. IrwigPorterWilson LBT. Clinical competence of paediatric primary care health care nurses in Soweto. S Afr Med J 1985;67:92-5. MedlineGoogle Scholar13. McGregor M. Confidentiality of medical information [Letter]. S Afr Med J. 1986;69:407. MedlineGoogle Scholar14. . Confidentiality of medical records. S Afr Med J. 1986;69:404. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the University of Toronto and Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Ontario. For the current author addresses, see end of text. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics 1 July 1988Volume 109, Issue 1Page: 73-75KeywordsElectronic medical recordsHealth careHospital medicinePrimary careUrban areas Issue Published: 1 July 1988 Copyright© 1988 American College of PhysiciansPDF DownloadLoading ...