South Africa

Factors Associated With Workplace and Interpersonal Trust in the Supervisory System of a Community Health Worker Programme in a Rural South African District

This study examines the importance of workplace trust and how it shapes the perceived performance of CHWs in ward based outreach teams (WBOTs) in rural South Africa. It concludes that wider trust in the healthcare system plays a significant role in interpersonal trust among CHWs, qualified health workers and managers and other frontline workers. … [Read more...] about Factors Associated With Workplace and Interpersonal Trust in the Supervisory System of a Community Health Worker Programme in a Rural South African District

Despite CHW’s contributions to public health goals, there continues to be a lack of investment in CHW programs. The authors of this paper argue that strengthening and growing national CHW programs are crucial to achieving global health goals like universal health coverage and ending child and maternal deaths by 2030. They suggest that offering comprehensive training for CHWs … [Read more...] about Article: Health for the People: Past, Current, and Future Contributions of National Community Health Worker Programs to Achieving Global Health Goals

This article explores the growing movement for labor rights for South African community health workers (CHWs). It tracks the emergence of sporadic mobilizations for decent work (supported by local health activist organizations) and the formation of the National Union of Care Workers of South Africa (NUCWOSA) in 2016. The authors of this paper close by offering suggestions for … [Read more...] about “Contract to Volunteer”: South African Community Health Worker Mobilization for Better Labor Protection

Community health worker (CHW) programs have been positioned to meet the needs of marginalized populations with inequitable access to health care. With increased technical focus on CHW work, the value of CHWs in building relationships with clients tends to be overlooked. More importantly, these programs are often reframed and redeployed without attending to the interests and … [Read more...] about Instructive roles and supportive relationships: client perspectives of their engagement with community health workers in a rural south African home visiting program

CHWs in South Africa have long formed a bridge between communities and health facilities as the cornerstone of South Africa’s ward-based primary healthcare outreach teams. This study documents CHW policy implementation and adoption across six provinces to identify potential barriers and facilitators to implementation and help guide and inform future planning. The authors … [Read more...] about Community health worker models in South Africa: a qualitative study on policy implementation of the 2018/19 revised framework