Project: Strengthening sub-district health management teams capacity for service delivery

STATUS: Current (February 2011 – January 2012) 
FUNDER/S: Atlantic Philanthropies
PARTNER/S: National (and Provincial) Department(s) of Health and Health Systems Trust
AREA: South Africa: two provinces (North West and KwaZulu-Natal)
DESCRIPTION: In 2008 HST received a grant from Atlantic Philanthropies (AP) to implement a Strengthening Management and Planning Capacity of District and Sub-District Health Teams project. This was implemented in selected sub-districts in four districts in three of South Africa’s nine provinces: KwaZulu-Natal (eThekwini district), Mpumalanga (Ehlanzeni and Nkangala districts) and North West (Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district).The selected sub-districts were Bushbuckridge in Ehlanzeni, Thembisile in Nkangala, Kagisano in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati, whilst in eThekwini the project was implemented in the whole district as there are no functional sub-districts in the province. Following the success of the project in the primary sites and also on the recommendations of external evaluators, HST sought further funding from AP to consolidate and deepen interventions in the provinces where the project was implemented.  North West and KwaZulu-Natal were selected as sites in the continuation project. The overall goal of the project is to build and strengthen capacity of district and sub-district health levels for management, planning and measurement of primary health care service performance.
OBJECTIVES:
  • Strengthen district and sub-district management capacity in planning, management and resource allocation through technical support and training
  • Support the re-engineering of PHC through facilitating community mobilisation and implementing the Community Health Worker (CHW) programme
  • Reduce coverage and quality gaps in the provision of Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health and Nutrition (MNCH&N) services by establishing community-based MNCH&N interventions though the CHW programme.
  • Strengthen in-service training of CHWs, particularly in the areas of the integrated package of MNCH&N care
  • Stimulate demand, through social mobilisation, for quality maternal and neonatal health care among families and communities
  • Strengthen the capacity of district management and health care workers in monitoring and evaluation by institutionalising programme performance reviews, clinic supervision and surveillance
  • Improve management and utilisation of health information for service assessment and improvement
PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS:
Project Manager:  Muzi Matse
Facilitators:

Tumelo Mampe (North West )
Khosi Nyawo (KZN)
Technical Advisors: Frank Tlamama (District Health Planning)
Mzikazi Masuku (Community Development)
Researcher: Catherine Ogunmefun

For further information contact the Project Manager, Muzi Matse, at muzi@hst.org.za