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.

See: Andersson N, Paredes S, Ngxowa N, Matthis J. Social audit of provincial health services: Building the community voice into planning in South Africa. Journal of Interprofessional Care 2004; 18(4): 381-390.

This project was funded jointly by the Gauteng Office of the Premier and the Gauteng Provincial Department of Health.