Community health workers (CHWs) traditionally played a role in supporting the delivery of high priority interventions relating to HIV, TB and maternal and child health. While they are essential for these programmes and improving access to care, there has been significant inconsistency in the management and functioning of the programmes across South Africa. This inconsistency is partly because the role of CHWs articulated poorly in National or Provincial health policy and thus limited guidance on the qualification requirements, training, employment conditions, the scope of practice or the basic role of CHWS within the health system. In addition, very little attention has been paid to the differences in needs of CHWs’ services between urban and rural areas.

View the complete Resource requirements for community-based care in rural, deep-rural and peri-urban sub-districts: A comparative analysis in 2 districts in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal report