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Exploring task-shifting practices in antiretroviral treatment facilities in the Free State Province, South Africa

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Abstract

There is good progress with the implementation of South Africa's antiretroviral treatment program. The country, however, faces human resource shortages that could be addressed through appropriate task shifting. During 2009, we studied task shifting from nurses to community health workers (CHWs) for HIV treatment and care at 12 primary health-care clinics in Free State Province, South Africa. We found inefficiency in nurse deployment, and nurses spent considerable time on training, counseling, and administrative tasks that could be shifted to CHWs. Such a shift will require the South African Ministry of Health to recognize CHWs formally in the health system.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Development Economics Research Group (DERG) and the World Bank–Netherlands Partnership Program, the European Union-funded Program to Support Pro-Poor Policy Development (PSPPD) in the South African Presidency, and the University of the Free State, Health Economics and AIDS Research Division (HEARD), University of KwaZulu-Natal, and the UFS Strategic Cluster.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Health Systems Research & Development, University of the Free State, South Africa, IB 39, PO Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9301, South Africa

    Katinka de Wet, Edwin Wouters & Michelle Engelbrecht

  2. University of Antwerp, Edegem, Belgium

    Edwin Wouters

Authors
  1. Katinka de Wet
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  2. Edwin Wouters
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  3. Michelle Engelbrecht
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Correspondence to Katinka de Wet.

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The authors studied task-shifting from nurses to community health workers for HIV treatment and care at 12 primary health care clinics in Free State Province, South Africa. They found inefficiency in nurse deployment.

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de Wet, K., Wouters, E. & Engelbrecht, M. Exploring task-shifting practices in antiretroviral treatment facilities in the Free State Province, South Africa. J Public Health Pol 32 (Suppl 1), S94–S101 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2011.30

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