The path to universal access

South Africa is currently mired in a deeply inequitable two-tiered health system. An underregulated private sector serves a minority of the country but employs nearly 80 percent of its doctors and specialists. The rest of South Africa—roughly 50 million people—relies on an overstretched, understaffed public system.

As early as next year, a new law could refashion private health services and advance universal health care. So why is it so unpopular? Read more.