Page 26 - Demo

Estimates of the Provincial Revenue and Expenditure (EPRE) %u2013 2025/26 Financial YearIn many communities in South Africa, women bear the brunt of taking care of households. The Eastern Cape Province leads with the highest percentage of households with female headed households at 48.8 per cent, followed by Limpopo Province at 47.0 per cent and KZN with 46.9 per cent. The least female headed populated provinces are Gauteng with only 36.5 per cent of households headed by females. These statistics are a clear indication that government resources at a social level are appropriately directed and allocated to the most vulnerable members of society i.e., women as they tend to be the ones responsible for the care of their households. This also gives emphasis of the need in the 2025/26 financial year for resources to be more concentrated in rural areas within the province as this will serve the greater need of households led by women who generally take care of the entire family. Table 1.4: Provincial Distribution of Individuals with Medical Aid Coverage, 2023 Province % Share Western Cape 25,7 Gauteng 22,4 South Africa 15,7 Northern Cape 15,3 North West 13,5 Free State 13,3 Mpumalanga 10,4KwaZulu Natal 10,4 Eastern Cape 9,8 Limpopo 9,5 Source: 2023 General Household Survey, Statistics South Africa In 2023, approximately 15.7 per cent of individuals nationally had medical aid coverage. The Western Cape Province followed by the Gauteng Province recorded the highest number of individuals with medical aid covered at 25.7 per cent and 22.4 per cent respectively. The Eastern Cape Province however, had the second lowest level of access to medical aid coverage with only 9.8 per cent of individuals with access to medical aid. Indicating that a large proportion of the public in the Province rely on the public health system. Even those who are within the income bracket to have a medical aid often make use of public services due to the unaffordability of medical aids and the high cost of living in South Africa. This further increases the demand for public health care necessitating that sufficient resources and budgets be directed towards prioritizing public health provision towards public hospitals, medical staff, training and provision of public health care medication, ambulances and other key services. 5