Year: 2008
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: This chapter reviews the progress made in recent years to strengthen human \nresources to deliver health care within a Primary Health Care approach. It focuses \nspecifically on the availability and preparedness of old and new cadres of health \nworkers, their distribution within the South African health system, as well as their \ntraining and development. Findings suggest that overall the health workforce is \nsubstantially weaker today than it was in the mid-1990s. There are fewer doctors \nand nurses available for the vast majority of public sector dependent population, \nas production has not kept up with population growth, increasing care needs and \nattrition. Disparities between provinces remain, and disparities between the private \nand public sectors have grown. The nursing sector faces a serious crisis brought on by \nan aging professional population. Progress with the development of mid-level cadres \nhas been slow, with pharmacy being the exception. Furthermore, the implementation \nof community health worker programmes remains fragmented and uneven. \nImportantly, while there has been curriculum reform in many medical schools, there \nhas been no fundamental shift in the orientation and resourcing of health professions. \nHealth workers entering primary or community care services, thus, often remain illprepared \nand find themselves poorly supported and resourced. It is suggested that \nthe following areas must be a priority in the human resource agenda in coming years: \nan accelerated production of professionals and mid-level cadres; comprehensive \ncurriculum audits; the regulation and integration of community health workers; and \nan integrated and comprehensive reconfiguration of Primary Health Care teams.
Author: Uta Lehmann
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2240463423