South Africa March 2006 |
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| Health workers sceptical of human resources plan, (Business Day, 2006-03-31):-Pharmacists in hospitals and institutions have dismissed as inaccurate and lacking in detail measures proposed to improve working conditions and stop medical staff quitting SA. The measures are contained in the final draft of the health department’s human resource plan. Barbara Raftesath, president of the South African Association of Hospital and Institutional Pharmacists, said the plan was not clear on what human resources were necessary to provide the expected levels of service. The association said clarity was essential across the full range of health facilities, such as primary health-care clinics, community health-care clinics, and district, regional, central and specialised hospitals. Even the most basic management levels at district offices should specify the most critical skills needed for effective operation, she said. Raftesath said association members were concerned about government’s silence on targeted workload-based ratios. “To merely point to this as a developing field or as ‘outstanding business’ and then avoid the obligation is unacceptable,” said Raftesath. There was no credible rational planning that could proceed from an indeterminate base, he said. Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang released the plan in response to the fluctuating numbers of trained staff and the migration of health-care workers to the private sector and abroad. | |
South African Migration Project (SAMP) - Queen's University - http://www.queensu.ca/samp |