Health services in Lesotho : a study of new possibilities for cooperation with South Africa

ABSTRACT

This study was conceived in 1993 by the WHO Office in Lesotho; when the events in South Africa indicated that a transition was imminent. Its main objective was to look into the health systems of Lesotho and South Africa from Lesotho's point of view; to ascertain the feasibility of an intensified collaborative venture that may benefit both countries. The idea was discussed within the United Nations system in Lesotho and it was agreed later last year to undertake a comprehensive study on the impact of South African developments on Lesotho socio-economic scenario. This study then is part of a wider critical look at possibilities to establish closer linkages between the two countries. The study reviews present relations between the health systems of Lesotho and South Africa and formulates possibilities for new initiatives; within the context of technical cooperation but also in the spirit of the Reconstruction and Development Programme for South Africa