| Summary |
South Africa faces the most intricate human resource challenges characteristic of health systems in many other countries. Ensuring an adequate human resource pool for the staffing of especially the public health sector is a major task that is complicated by many global and disease burden challenges. Even though the private health sector is not experiencing the same pressures to the same degree, maldistribution within this sector is a serious challenge.
Developing a human resource plan for health is very high on the agenda of the National Department of Health. It is globally recognized that a focused human resource strategy backed up by an appropriate implementation plan is a critical ingredient of positive change in health care. Success in this area helps create a positive image and an environment conducive for health care to flourish. Equity, efficiency and effectiveness of the health system depend on the two elements a visionary strategy and a focused plan being appropriately developed and implemented.
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| More Details |
The Department is mandated by both the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and the National Health Act to deliver health services to South African society. This means ensuring provision of adequate human resources to enable the health system to deliver on that mandate. At the national health summit held on 2 3 December 2004 the Department of Health promised that a strategic framework for the human resource plan will be ready for consultation purposes in 2005. This document presents this strategic framework with the expectation that all stakeholders will contribute positively to the process.
The conceptualisation process started with a review of the work that has previously been done in an attempt to address the human resource challenges to health. Critical to this approach was a rapid appraisal of the work done by Professor William Pick and getting the views of a number of people that had given input to that process. The Pick Report (2001) said in its introduction said: In order to give expression to the Primary Health Care (PHC) approach, the vehicle through which basic health care will be made accessible to all, the Department is committed to ensuring, through proper planning, that a continuous supply of, suitably qualified, competent human resources will be available to staff primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities.
In addition to the legislative and constitutional mandate to provide good quality health services to the nation, the 2001 National Human Resource Strategy provides the context for developing a human resource plan.
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| Publication Webpage |
http://www.health-e.org.za/resources/draft%20strategic%20framework%20for%20human%20resources%20doc.DOC |
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