Property Investment and Lifestyle Information for the Western Cape province, South Africa

<body bgcolor="#ffffff"> <h1>South Africa :: Western Cape Lifestyle :: Education, Healthcare, Culture, Climate</h1> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          In common with the country as a whole, South Africa's healthcare system is extensive and diverse, and the Western Cape has arguably the best health facilities in the country - comparable to western European standards. It does have the largest number of both hospitals and doctors, per head. </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Basic health points </font></p> <ul> <li><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">No inoculations are necessary (except where entering South Africa from an at-risk area) including no need for cholera or smallpox vaccinations.</font> <li><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Western Cape is free of malaria.</font> <li><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The Western Cape has South Africa's lowest incidence of HIV-Aids - by a significant margin. This is still an obvious risk however, and commensurately obvious precautions should be taken.</font> <li><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Tap water is safe to drink. Not every stream is.</font> </ul> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          South Africa has a large public sector health system and a fast growing private system. 18% of the population subscribe to a medical insurance scheme - there is currently no state insurance scheme. Most health professionals work in the private system. Taken as a whole, standards are high and South African doctors are highly sought after in other parts of the world because of the high standard of their training and the cutting-edge experience they receive. During their working life they are required to undertake a yearly programme of professional skills development. Many doctors make house calls.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          State <b>hospitals</b> charge for their services - approximately 55R for a consultation and 500R per day for a stay, excluding medicine and operation costs (these figures assume a relatively high income level). On the other hand there are upwards of 200 private hospitals managed by insurance companies such as Netcare and Medi-clinic. Netcare alone employs 2,900 medical professionals.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          South Africa has relatively high levels of motor vehicle accidents and trauma rates and public <b>emergency treatment</b> is stretched. However private 'rapid response' services have sprung up, the largest of which is Netcare's 911. This has the largest fleet of emergency response transportation (by land and air) and paramedics in the country. The annual cost for a family is of the order of 250R p.a. but the service will attend to any emergency regardless of ability to pay.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Emergency phone numbers </font></p> <ul> <li><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Netcare 911 - 082 911</font> <li><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Ambulance service - 101 77</font> <li><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Police service - 101 11</font> </ul> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          <b>Pharmacists</b> are trained to provide basic medical advice (to make best use of doctors' time) and issue Schedule 3 drugs (this excludes antibiotics), oral contraceptives, insulin, thyroid and heart medications and some analgesics. All dentists are in private practice and opticians provide an excellent service and good value for money.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          Abortion is legal in South Africa, although the majority of women undergoing the procedure are under 18, which indicates the need for better sex education. South Africa follows the WHO World Health Organisation's recommended immunisation schedule and infants are routinely vaccinated against TB, diptheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, haemophilus influenza type B and hepatitis B.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">British pensioners </font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">          Unlike pensioners who live in the EU or the USA or some other countries, British pensioners living in South Africa (as well as in Australia, Canada and New Zealand) do not enjoy inflation level increases to their basic state benefit. This position is currently (April 2005) being appealed via the House of Lords and a decision is expected shortly.</font></p> <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"></font></p> <p><a href="../4_context_information/40-context-frameset.html">Context Basic Facts Administration Financial Business</a></p> <p><a href="../5_property_information/50-property-frameset.html">Property Market Property Types Investment Options Purchase Processes</a></p> <p><a href="../6_geography_information/60-geog-frameset.html">Places Locations Cape Town West Coast Winelands Boland Overberg Karoo Garden Route Eden</a></p> <p><a href="70-lifestyle-frameset.htm">Lifestyle Resources Culture Nature Climate</a></p> <p><a href="../8_recreation_information/80-recreation-frameset.htm">Recreation Sport Leisure Activities Tourism</a></p> <p><a href="../9-further-information/90-further-frameset.html">Other Information Books Further Reading Contact Us Index</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.frog-property.com">Frog Property Investment</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.andalucia.ft6.com">Information about Property and Lifestyle in the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.costamap.ft6.com">Map of the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.costatour.ft6.com">Property Guided Tour of the Costa del Sol, Andalucia, Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.grehan.ukhq.co.uk">Voyaging the French canals and rivers in a boat and sailing a yacht in the Mediterranean Spain</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.lapina.co.uk">Self-catering holiday town house apartment to rent by Alhaurin Golf, in the Andalucia countryside, near beach, Costa del Sol, Spain</a></p> <p>They enjoy the highest per capita income, life expectancy and the second highest literacy rates and educational achievement levels in South Africa. The unemployment rate is also the lowest in South Africa, at 13%.</p> <p>apartment, beach, bulgaria, Bulgaria, buy, california, California, camps bay, Camps Bay, Cape Town, cape west, capetown, Capetown, clifton, Clifton, condominium, co-ownership, costa, costa blanca, costa brava, costa del sol, cote d'azur, countryside, croatia, Croatia, culture, data, deal, developer, development, education, emigrate, emigration, estate agent, evidence, farmstead, flat, florida, Florida, Frog, Frog Properties, fund, garden, golf, government, growth, growth fund, guide, healthcare, holiday home, home, house, information, infrastructure, investment, investment fund, land, loan, mortgage, new zealand, New Zealand, newcombe, Newcombe, pension, pension fund, penthouse, plot, price, prices, profit, property, property market, purchase, recreation, reference, relocate, relocation, rent, rental market, retirement, safe, sailing, security, sell, shared ownership, simonstown, South Africa, Spain, spain, sport, st helena, St Helena, statistics, stellenbosch, table mountain, tennis, timeshare, townhouse, vacation, villa, western cape, Western Cape, westerncape, wine, winery</p> <h1>Clear, comprehensive information about the Western Cape</h1> <p>property, investment, reference data, infrastructure resources, lifestyle and geography. No adverts. No selling.</p> <p>The Western Cape or Cape West</p> <p>South Africas Western Cape province is truly one of the most desirable places on earth to live and work. It is like New Zealand or California or Florida or the Spanish Costas. Wonderful climate, and beautiful scenery and geography and beaches. With one of the worlds most attractive cities, Cape Town and its exclusive suburbs Clifton and Camps Bay. Many British people have moved there. It is a safe and secure area with a modern well developed infrastructure of roads and telecommunications. Excellent education system including schools, colleges and universities.</p> <p>This is a great place to buy property or to invest in property, with a stable and rising market and where properties are comparatively cheap compared with other places in the world that are as attractive. The countryside includes wineries and farmsteads. You can play golf and live in one the many lush golf condominiums. Or play tennis, or sail or indulge in one of many watersports. The language spoken is English.</p> <p>You can find and purchase land or plots. Or buy an apartment or a villa to live and work in, or as a holiday home or second home or as a great investment with secure growth potential. Urban, rural or suburban.</p> <p>This website is a guide to the Western Cape, clear comprehensive information about the Western Cape.</p> <p>Apartment, beach, bulgaria, Bulgaria, buy, california, California, camps bay, Camps Bay, Cape Town, cape west, capetown, Capetown, clifton, Clifton, condominium, co-ownership, costa, costa blanca, costa brava, costa del sol, cote d'azur, countryside, croatia, Croatia, culture, data, deal, developer, development, education, emigrate, emigration, estate agent, evidence, farmstead, flat, florida, Florida, Frog, Frog Properties, fund, garden, golf, government, growth, growth fund, guide, healthcare, holiday home, home, house, information, infrastructure, investment, investment fund, land, loan, mortgage, new zealand, New Zealand, newcombe, Newcombe, pension, pension fund, penthouse, plot, price, prices, profit, property, property market, purchase, recreation, reference, relocate, relocation, rent, rental market, retirement, safe, sailing, security, sell, shared ownership, simonstown, South Africa, Spain, spain, sport, st helena, St Helena, statistics, stellenbosch, table mountain, tennis, timeshare, townhouse, vacation, villa, western cape, Western Cape, westerncape, wine, winery.</p> </body>