Health and Wellness
- Whether her Department can provide details on the reported absorption of 400 community health workers into her Department; if not, why not; if so, (a) how many have already been absorbed, (b) how many are still to be absorbed and (c) what is the expected time frame for the completion of this process;
- whether her Department has identified the specific hospitals, clinics or healthcare facilities where these community health workers will be deployed; if not, why not; if so, (a) which facilities have been identified and (b) what criteria were used to deter-mine their placement?
(1) The Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness is not currently undertaking a process to absorb 400 community health workers (CHWs) into its permanent establishment.
CHWs remain an important part of the Western Cape’s community-based service model. In the Western Cape, CHWs are engaged through contracted non-governmental organisations, which enables flexibility, community responsiveness, and scalability of services within a constrained fiscal environment. We believe that this approach serves to not only strengthen community health, but also to strengthen and develop a vibrant and resilient NPO and NGO sector, a critical civil society partner in the delivery of community-oriented healthcare. This model also supports outreach, health promotion, adherence support, and linkage to care within defined service areas.
(2) As there is no current process to absorb these community health workers into the permanent establishment of the Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness, no specific hospitals, clinics, or healthcare facilities have been identified for deployment linked to such a process.
