Following numerous work stoppages and intermittent interruptions at various hospitals and clinics throughout the province, the Northern Cape Department of Health has finally succumbed and absorbed about 2550 community health workers with effect from November 2018.
This has been one of the main challenges affecting the department and as a result the decision had to be finally reached.
In her collective announcement the MEC for the Department of Health Ms Fufe Makatong said “In our endeavour to strengthen the delivery of healthcare services in our province, we set aside time to meet with all trade unions representing community health workers. The engagements took place at the Ministerial Offices, in Kimberley on October 4, 2018 and came up with these resolutions:
All registered and recognised community health workers (CHWs) will be absorbed into the department irrespective of age and qualifications on November 01, 2018.The R1000 owed to CHWs for 5 months will be back dated to the agreement date of 22 June 2018 and be paid with their first R3500 by November 30, 2018. The 13th cheque will also be paid to community health workers as originally promised.
The move comes after government passed the minimum wage bill in parliament as law, in June 2018. Following this process, the matter on the community healthcare workers’ employment and remuneration was tabled at the Public Health and Social Development Sector Bargaining Council (PHSDSBC), wherein the resolution was signed by representatives of trade unions and National Department of Health.
This agreement binds the National and Provincial Departments of Health, trade unions and their members, including community health workers who are not members of any of the Unions and who fall within the registered scope of the PHSDSBC. The provision of this agreement applies to CHWs for the duration of twelve (12) months upon the signing of this agreement, in June 2018.
These workers form part of the ward based primary health care outreach teams (WBPHCOT) established to improve access to health care as they are intended to be the first point of entry into the health system. They provide services such as child, adolescent and women’s health, basic preventative care and education, identify people at risk and report/refer to the clinic, support adherence in chronic treatment, early detection and intervention of health problems, illness retention in care of HIV/TB infected patients on treatment and offer basic nursing care services” the MEC elaborated.
The MEC believes that the community health workers programme will contribute immensely to governments efforts towards achieving the 90-90-90 targets aimed at for the year 2020, for early detection, treatment and retention in care for especially HIV and TB
