Can rights cure? The impact of human rights litigation on South Africa's health system

Book excerpt: Can rights cure? At a time when South Africa’s ailing and dysfunctional health system is on the verge of radical transformation through the mooted introduction of a National Health Insurance scheme, and when there are increasing political tensions between government and the courts, this book reflects upon the South African experience of judicially enforcing health-related constitutional rights. It attempts to understand the ways in which rights-based litigation has impacted on the operation and transformation of different features of the health system, including the formulation and implementation of health laws and policies, processes of health resource allocation and rationing, the regulation of health care delivery in the private sector, and the promotion and protection of public health.