ABSTRACT
The inequitable South African health system was a legacy of early twentieth-century colonial and missionary ideologies, with their ostensibly "philanthropic" attitudes toward providing healthcare to indigenous people. The Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) is required to inspect South Africa's 4010 health establishments (HEs) every 4 years to determine their compliance with a minimum set of quality standards, which will be promulgated as regulations, to ensure the provision of quality healthcare services. The National Core Standards (NCS) were developed by the precursor to OHSC, the Office of Standards Compliance (OSC), within the National Department of Health over a period of 3 years. The purpose of NCS is to develop a common definition of quality care. The inspections of HEs are conducted using following data collection methods: document review and analysis, observation, patient interview, patient record assessment, and staff interview. Both new inspections and repeat inspections revealed that clinics supported by feeder hospitals did better than those with district office oversight.
