Health Systems Research Unit
The Report
Linking
health and environment in Cape Town, South Africa: The view
from local government, July 1998
This report presents the findings of a study
which aimed to explore and map the development of local government
policies in Cape Town, South Africa, focusing on the interface between environment
and health policies. The report is divided into 4 sections:
- Section 1
provides an introduction to the context of local government policy making
in Cape Town, focusing on the restructuring of the environment and health
sectors.
- Section 2
gives the background to this study and presents the aims, objectives and
methods.
- Section 3
presents the study findings. These have been organised into major themes
covering the following areas:
- the local government policy process in Cape
Town
- the environment – health nexus
- the impacts of local government transformation
- Section 4
outlines the conclusions and recommendations of the study.
Both the study and this
report used the following definitions of terms:
- environmental management departments: those
departments responsible for linking urban planning to environmental concerns
and environmental sustainability.
- health departments: those departments responsible
for developing and implementing policies, and providing preventive, promotive
and curative services which contribute directly to the maintenance and improvement
of human health
- environmental health departments: those units
within health departments responsible for monitoring environmental health
conditions (water quality and access; solid waste removal) and hygiene.
- local government restructuring: the reorganisation
of the components (departments, staff, equipment) of local government.
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