sector skills plan for the health sector in south africa

annual growth rate in professional registrations across key occupational categories has also been low,
and in some instances lower than the growth rates in graduates produced for the particular professional
category.
The HWSETA also contributes to skills formation in the health sector. Since 2002 more than 25 000
learners enrolled on health-related learnerships. More than 7 000 have completed learnerships at the
time of writing this SSP, and were recorded on the HWSETA’s electronic system. Many more completed
learnership that are quality assured by professional councils and their achievements are recorded by the
councils and not by the HWSETA. The SETA also support skills development through internships and
workplace training programmes, skills programmes, ABET and small enterprise development.
The supply of skills to the health sector is not only determined by capacity at training institutions and
the scope of training activities. Health workers risk exposure to HIV and AIDS in the workplace and face
increased risks of contracting the disease compared with workers in other sectors. By 2002 the
prevalence rate of HIV and AIDS among health workers was 15.7%, much higher than the national
prevalence rate at the height of the pandemic in 2010. As a result of AIDS, skilled health workers leave
the sector prematurely – either because they fear infection, become ill themselves or need to care for
others who fall ill.
Many of the government’s positive strategies to improve the supply and retention of skills in the sector
may be compromised by budget constraints and various institutional problems such as weak
management systems, sub-functional working environments and poor human resources practices. The
information presented in this chapter shows that unless major improvements in leadership and
management of the health system at all levels are made, migration of health professionals out of the
public sector and emigration to other countries are likely to drain the supply of skills for the
considerable future.
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