Occupational Certificate: Health Promotion Officer
SAQA ID: 94597
CREDITS: 163
NQF LEVEL: 3
DURATION: 1 YEAR
Entry Requirements:
NQF Level 1 or equivalent competences in Mathematical Literacy and Communications.
PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION
Purpose:
The purpose of this qualification is to prepare a learner to:
- Carry out basic assessments of communities, households groups and individuals.
- Provide basic health education and referrals for a wide range of services.
- Support and assist in navigating the health and social services system.
Rationale:
The National Health Council has mandated an improvement in the health outcomes and for this to occur significant steps need to be taken in the restructuring of the health system. This is one of the 10 points in the five year Health Sector 10 Point Plan, noted as ‘overhauling the healthcare system’. It is also the fourth pillar of the Negotiated Service Delivery Agreement as ‘strengthening the effectiveness of the health system’. This qualification will form an integral part of this strategy. It will form the basis for the appointment requirements of the Community Health Workers that will be employed by the various government departments (currently an estimated number of approximately 70 000 people).
The model contains three streams:
- Award based PHC outreach team for each electoral ward.
- Strengthening school health services.
- District based clinical specialist teams with an initial focus on improving maternal and child health.
The roles of Community Health Workers (CHW) (as part of the PHC outreach teams) will include:
- Conducting community, household and individual health assessments and identifying health needs and risks (actual and potential) and facilitating the family or an individual to seek the appropriate health service.
- Promoting the health of the households and the individuals within these households.
- Referring persons for further assessment and testing after performing simple basic screening.
- Providing limited, simple health interventions in a household (e.g. basic first aid, oral rehydration and any other basic intervention that she or he is trained to provide).
- Providing psychosocial support and managing interventions such as treatment defaulter tracing and adherence support.
QUALIFICATION RULES
This qualification is made up of the following compulsory Knowledge and Practical Skill Modules:
Knowledge Subjects:
- Public and Community health support, NQF Level 3, 22 Credits.
- Family and Community Services, NQF Level 3, 10 Credits.
- Basics of Community Health, NQF Level 3, 8 Credits.
Total Credits for Knowledge Subjects: 40
Practical Skills Modules:
- Mobilise community to address community health issues, NQF Level 3, 4 Credits.
- Identify the service needs and ease of access to health and social services, NQF Level 3, 4 Credits.
- Promote healthy life styles and mental wellbeing, NQF Level 3, 6 Credits.
- Promote HIV prevention including HIV testing, condom use, partner reduction, circumcision, STI treatment, NQF Level 3, 4 Credits.
- Provide information on prevention of accidents and incidents in homes, NQF Level 2, 4 Credits.
- Record and report on information provided to individuals, households and communities, NQF Level 3, 4 Credits.
- Promote and provide support for maternal and women’s health, NQF Level 2, 14 Credits.
- Promote child health, NQF Level 4, 4 Credits.
- Support community members with psychosocial problems, NQF Level 4, 3 Credits.
- Provide an integrated approach to support treatment adherence, NQF Level 3, 4 Credits.
- Identify and treat a select number of minor ailments, NQF Level 2, 8 Credits.
- Provide basic support to people who are unable to care for themselves, NQF Level 2, 4 Credits.
Total Credits for Practical Skills Modules: 63
Work Experience Modules:
- Operation and dynamics of communities, NQF Level 4, 6 Credits.
- Household registration and assessment processes, NQF Level 3, 14 Credits.
- Health promotion processes, NQF Level 3, 6 Credits.
- Formal health provision processes, NQF Level 2, 12 Credits.
- Emotional and social wellness support processes, NQF Level 3, 6 Credits.
- Household treatment processes of minor ailments, NQF Level 3, 16 Credits.
Total Credits for Work Experience Modules: 60
