AfriForum poll proves service delivery in native language is vital in healthcare
21 February 2020
AfriForum conducted a survey among members during 2019 to determine their language needs when consulting health care practitioners. This followed in response to the disputable assumption of among others hospital groups, the South African National Blood Service and medical schemes that healthcare communication in English only is adequate.
According to Alana Bailey, AfriForum’s Head of Cultural Affairs, this statement causes serious concerns, as English is the native language of less than 10% of the country’s residents. “International studies prove that people who experience trauma or are subjected to emotional stress function less fluently in a second language. We wanted to find out what our members experience in this regard,” she explained.
The 1 024 participants in the survey, which was launched by the AfriForum’s Research Institute, originate from all nine provinces of South Africa and range in age from 18 to over 65. Of these, 59% are men and 41% women, while 96% passed matric or have a higher qualification.
In total, 85% of participants stated that language determines which practitioner they choose when a choice is possible, while 83% even specifically said that they prefer to consult a healthcare practitioner in their native language.