Health Living Lab
The Department of Family Medicine at the University of Pretoria initiated the Health Living Laboratory (HLL) in response to the health epidemics with their multiple impacts on people’s health and welfare as well as the inequitable health care system in South Africa. The HLL intends to support the National Department of Health’s initiative to re-engineer primary health care. The HLL is a university based collaborative partnership with public and private health service providers, other university departments and health care development and research organisations.
The HLL is conceptualised as a test bed designed to study and innovate the practices and processes of re-engineering
primary health care in site specific localities through research, learning and communication. Through a community oriented approach to primary care, practice in the HLL is informed by the five COPC principles. These are equity, comprehensive health care, scientifically informed inter-professional practice, service integration around users, and collaboration with individuals and families and local organisations and institutions in particular places. The HLL comprises an organisational hub, physical sites, ICT networks and communities of practice.
Presently there are 8 active sites in the Tshwane Metropolitan (Tshwane District is itself an NHI pilot site) of which Daspoort Clinic is the 9th site as of 2013.
* Adapted from Executive Summary of Health Living Laboratory Business Plan 2012-2017
