The provision of speech, language and hearing services in a rural district of South Africa

Abstract

In this paper the delivery of a speech, language and hearing therapy (SLHT) service in a rural area is discussed. In the light of the need to relate the delivery of this service to principles of primary health care (PHC) and community based rehabilitation (CBR), a brief theoretical background is given. Obstacles to service delivery are then presented, followed by a description of some attempts to implement principles of PHC and CBR. The author concludes that many challenges need to be faced in providing SLHT services that will benefit the majority of the population of South Africa.