World Health Day 7th April 2006

Issued by the National Department of Health

5 April 2006

This year's World Health Day commemorations on Friday April 7th will be devoted to Human Resources in the health sector through the acknowledgement of the commitment and dedication of our health professionals in ensuring that, despite the odds, we manage to provide quality health care service to the country.

At the World Health Assembly in May last year a resolution was adopted that 2006 be dedicated to celebrating Human Resources in health under the theme: "Working together for health". The South African slogan is: "Working together for Health: Honouring and Celebrating Health Worker Excellence", as recognition of our health workers as the heartbeat of the health system and also a call for action to unite all role players in government, private sector, NGO's and communities in uniting to strengthen the workforce.

In an effort to effect the realization of these themes, the Department of Health will use the occasion on Friday to also launch - for the first time - the country's Human Resources Plan for Health aimed at addressing various challenges the country faces in providing and retaining skilled workers for the sector.

The long awaited Plan will serve as a roadmap to guide the country's health care sectors, both public and private, in the appropriate planning, development and management of skilled human resources adequate to provide quality health care for all South Africans.

The sector needs such planning to ensure the following:

• That it obtains the right quality and adequate quantity of the staff it requires
• It makes the optimum use of its human resources;
• Is able to anticipate and manage surpluses; and develops a multi-skilled, representative and flexible workforce, which enables the Department to adapt rapidly to a changing operational environment.

The plan will serve as a reference point for province-specific HR Plans and will provide managers with an overall framework for recruiting and developing appropriate retention strategies in their provinces.

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang will officially launch the Plan in Johannesburg and this will be immediately followed by a national conference where the Plan will be subjected to detailed discussions by various stakeholders. Various events have been planned across the country to commemorate the Day.

The media is invited as follows:

Date: Friday 7th April 2006-04-05
Time: 09:00
Venue: Emperor's Palace, Kempton Park, Johannesburg

Enquiries: Solly Mabotha @ 083 678 9860