Deep-Seated Passion for Advancing Rural Health Drives Doctoral Graduate

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A passion for promoting rural health and community health programmes is a driving force for Dr Landiwe Khuzwayo who was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences from the School of Nursing and Public Health at UKZN.

‘I am excited about this achievement as I plan to move into academia and help young researchers realise their dreams. I also want to advance my research skills and do more work that focuses on epidemiology,’ said Khuzwayo.

Her research involved investigating what rural communities thought about community health programmes and how they benefitted from them. Khuzwayo says she explored user perceptions of primary health care (PHC) services provided by the ward-based outreach teams (WBOTs) and the effectiveness of the WBOTs in rural households.

Results from her research show that outreach teams are a welcome extension of PHC into communities, especially for people who live in remote and rural areas. ‘The teams are perceived to have increased access to health care, reduced out-of-pocket expenses and strengthened referral pathways,’ said Khuzwayo. ‘Furthermore, the results show that team composition is an important component of the outreach teams, as it determines the type of providers that visits the households as well as the package of services received by households. Notably, services being received by households and the effectiveness of the teams are limited to the skills of team members and team members visiting the households the most.

The current package of care needs to be expanded according to team composition and the skills within the teams. The outreach teams can be effective in meeting community needs and ultimately contribute to the success of health reforms, but the negative attributes need to be corrected.’ She believes her study will assist policy makers to better understand how users perceive services received at community and household level and how to better implement ward-based outreach teams.

Khuzwayo is currently working for an NGO in Health Systems. ‘My plan is to continue working in the field for a year or two while trying to build relationships with institutions of higher learning so that ultimately I can enter academia,’ she said. ‘I would also like to do postdoctoral research in the near future - I just need to find time and sponsorship for it.’

Khuzwayo is a road runner and has done Comrades and other ultra-marathons in South Africa as well as overseas. She loves travelling and learning new things about different cultures.

‘My father passed away during my studies so that made it hard for me. I have dedicated my work to him.’

Words: Lihle Sosibo

Photograph: Abhi Indrarajan