Fourth Industrial Revolution in South Africa: Challenges Confronting Health Care and a Health Care-focused Strategy

Abstract

This article explores challenges in developing a Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) health strategy in South Africa against the background of the country’s ailing public health care system, on which around 80% of the population is dependent. This situation presents a problem of inequities in access to health care which, if not addressed, may be made worse as technological innovations increase. As such, a deliberate approach regarding 4IR is essential. The article is a desk research that utilises a qualitative approach by collecting and analysing data from various secondary sources in both published and unpublished literature. It considers theoretical literature on policy formulation, design and tools, as well as literature on the challenges of the country’s health system. The article finds that while there is a need for a 4IR health-focused policy, the South African state of health makes it a challenge to do so. Access to and implementation of the 4IR in the health sector need greater engagement with the problems in health care, as opposed to the implementation in a developed world. Further, until the NHI is fully implemented, a 4IR health strategy may not only be difficult to formulate, but to implement as well. The article contributes to the scholarship on policy formulation in South Africa and identifies the key features of what a South African health-focused 4IR strategy may contain. It further helps us to appreciate the challenges that confront an African health care system, particularly in view of the 4IR.