Abstract:

Governments have a huge role to play in the delivery of public health both at macro and micro levels. The provision of public healthcare is a matter of social justice and all individuals in a population should have access to the same programs despite their social status. Improving health and quality of life and reducing the impact of disease amongst the population should be the core business of public health administrators. The overall development of a country can be judged by the quality of its population’s health how healthy people are across the social spectrum. Ever since their attainment of independence the two Southern African countries of Botswana and Zimbabwe have pursued aggressive public health policies within, but with varied results. This paper compares the public health philosophies of these two countries. The paper then analyses the public administration frameworks within which public health management can be located in these two countries and evaluates their impacts since independence. The paper will critique the state of public health management in these countries against the public administration ideology that each of these countries has pursued.

Keywords: Public Health Management, Public Administration, Theories of Public Administration, Public Health.

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