Human%20Resources%20for%20Health

1
Human Resources for Health

• Dr Percy Mahlathi
• Deputy Director General
• National Department of Health
• 24 August 2004

2
Introduction

• Major human resource challenges in health
• Human Resource branch as of April 2004
• HR Strategy adopted in 2001
• Align service delivery with strategic objectives
  priorities
• Overall objective is to deliver on the
  constitutional mandate

3
Vision and Mission

• Vision
• An accessible, caring and high quality health
  system
• Mission
• To improve health status through prevention and
  promotion of healthy lifestyles and to
  consistently improve the health care delivery
  system by focusing on access, equity, efficiency,
  quality and sustainability

4
Strategic objectives

• Ensure sustainable national health system
• Ensure appropriate management of human resource
• Ensure access good quality health care
• Ensure appropriate skills mix
• Position health professions as careers of choice
• Ensure right skills are in right place in
  conducive working environment

5
Broad challenges

• Generic imperatives
• Legal (adherence to labour laws)
• Moral (restoring human dignity)
• Perceptual (leadership image)
• National imperatives
• Advancing objectives of freedom (equity)
• Constitutional imperatives (better life)
• Global imperatives
• NEPAD International Leadership

6
Some specific HR Challenges

• Shortage of human resources clinical
  management, supply not matching needs
• Migration of health workers (intensive
  discourse) vacancy rates increased workloads
• Improving the working environment, remuneration,
  morale
• Insufficient evaluation of impact of human
  resource policies
• Planning for the future ensuring good return on
  investment

7
Migration of Health Workers

• A global problem rural/urban, public to private
• Some reasons better remuneration, gain
  international experience, heavy workload, poor
  resource management, lack of facilities
  support, declining values, family related matters
• Excessive workloads on remaining staff
• Young inexperienced staff remain to carry
  workload- demotivation and burnout

8
Strategies to address migration

• Local skills rural allowances, community
  service, individual initiatives by provinces,
  service excellence awards
• International memoranda of understanding to
  better manage the flow of skills and encourage
  exchange of professionals between countries
• Policy on recruitment employment of Foreign
  Health Workers (passed in 2001)

9
Strategies to address challenges

• Better equipping of health facilities
• New categories (mid-level workers) - pharmacist
  radiographic assistants etc to take off pressure
  from highly skilled professionals
• Management Leadership Executive Management
  Programs Presidential Leadership Programme,
  Oliver Tambo Fellowship, Harvard, Gengold/MESOL-
  to equip managers

10
Broad Strategic Approach to HR

• Country HR Plan for Health
• Position department to support and manage the
  Country Plan
• Meaningful needs driven HR Development
• Corporate identity relationship building
• Improve morale retain internal staff
• Develop dynamic communication plan

11
Implementation strategies

• Country Plan production, staffing norms and
  standards
• Specific projects e.g. National HR database for
  reliable statistics
• Operational improve skills, multi-skill
  re-skill staff where necessary
• Internal programs e.g. improve employee
  assistance programs

12
Implementation strategies

• Improve capacity skills mix at management level
• Address mal-distribution between private
  public, rural urban
• Internal review of macro-organizational
  structure, address morale issues
• Attract people with good technical management
  skills to public health service

13
Conclusion

• National Plan absolute necessity April 2005
• Departmental Plan align structure to functions,
  improve conditions
• Leadership development mentorship
• Interaction with Statutory Councils, Higher
  Education Institutions Professional
  Associations responsibility office of HR DDG

14
BUDGET 2004/5

• R 8,7bn (4.8) increase compared to 2003/4
• R 7,7bn (88) allocated to provinces for various
  programs and services e.g. training of
  professionals and research, improving hospital
  management capacity
• National Department for HR Planning, Development
  Management R27m