Human Resource Strategy for the Health Sector: 2012/13 - 2016/17

The Context
Workforce planning for the health service is challenging and complex. Nonetheless, workforce planning is an important process. The health, policy, legislative and economic context influence the task of visualising and implementing improvements in the health workforce. The policy context provides the framework for the development of the HRH Strategy. The Minister of Health, in his Budget Speech in May 2011, announced the re-engineering of the Primary Health Care system and the overhaul of the health system. Implementing the three main streams for re-engineering Primary Health Care is the short-term priority. These streams are: District Clinical Specialist teams, a School Health Programme and Community Outreach PHC Teams.
The Problem Statement
An overview of the trends and challenges in HRH for South Africa is grouped into 3 thematic areas. For each thematic area the key issues are highlighted and brief recommendations provided which informed the HRH Strategy.

• Theme I The supply of health professionals and equity of access
• Theme II Education, training and research
• Theme III The working environment of the health workforce