Level: 3
SAQA ID: 64769
Credits: 140
PURPOSE:
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A learner who has achieved this qualification will integrate a range of awareness and competencies to practice the roles of health promoter, health provider and health net-worker within a community development context.
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Learners who complete this qualification will have a better self and social awareness and will possess a range of thinking and problem solving skills. In addition, they will possess the competence required to perform community health functions in a complex developing world context. They will have the skills required for employment by a range of health, social and other sector employers and will be in possession of a recognised qualification.
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Qualified learners in this field will provide a service that will assist communities to better manage their own health and wellness. They will have the skills to work as team members and as providers of support services within a multi-disciplinary health care team. Practitioners will generally carry out their role within the context of the client's home, a community care centre and/or the broader community.
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RATIONALE:
The South African Government is committed to combining the national human resource development strategy with the rapid upgrading of service delivery to all of the nation's communities.
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Integral to this strategy are initiatives to strengthen the ability of communities to empower themselves to participate in the political, economic, social and development spheres of South African life. Two key components in this empowerment are the ability of communities to integrate with and access state services, and their abilities to further the health and wellness of community members.
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There is no doubt from the international experience of Community Health Workers (CHW) that they play a vital role in improving the basic health status of communities. In South Africa, the important supportive role of CHWs in the provision of health care services has been extensively documented. This contribution is further exemplified in those parts of the country where there is a shortage of professional health workers to provide the necessary health care services based on identified needs.
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The Department of Health is leading the implementation of a multi-professional team-based approach to health care delivery, where each member of the team has a defined role to ensure that there is no duplication and overlapping of functions. Since Ancillary Health Care workers are found throughout the country - from established urban areas to scattered farms and deep rural areas - the type of learner to enter for this qualification is equally varied. The first level qualification in the bouquet is at NQF Level 1, ABET Level 4 and the last qualification is the FETC: Community Health Work at NQF Level 4. As a result, learners will vary in age, in background and in level of formal schooling. The common denominator is the desire to help their fellow beings.
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