Authors: Lize-Marie Doresha, Williams, Robert Mash
Community health workers (CHWs) are essential in South Africa’s primary health care, particularly in Cape Town’s community-oriented primary care model. While their roles in HIV, tuberculosis, maternal, and child health are clear, their role in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) needs further exploration. This study examined CHWs’ current involvement with NCDs in Cape Town’s Eastern sub-district through observations and interviews with CHWs, their managers, and nurse coordinators. CHWs are well-integrated into their communities, providing services through support groups, home visits, and medication delivery, and linking people to care with nurse coordinators’ help. However, they lack skills in counseling on NCD risk factors and their role in rehabilitation and palliative care is unclear. They need more nurse coordinators for better supervision, stronger inter-sectoral collaboration to address social issues, standardized training for health promotion, and proper data integration. Improvements in employment conditions, equipment availability, and relationships with primary health care teams are also necessary. Enhancing these areas could enable CHWs to effectively address NCDs with a comprehensive approach.
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Resource Topic: CHW Role, NON Communicable Diseases/NCD
Resource Type: Qualitative
Year: 2024
Region: Africa
Country: South Africa
Publisher May Restrict Access: No