South Africa is expected to take another step closer towards the National Health Insurance when the health Minister Dr Aaron Motsolaedi will be unveiling the country's human resources plan for health at the University of Witwatersrand tomorrow morning.
When releasing the green paper for public comment in August, the health Minister made it very clear that for the NHI to be succesfull, it was important that the department of health put in place a clear human resources plan for health that would help address the major human resources shortages the country is faced with. South Africa is among the countries in the world with huge human resources shortages in the health sector and the multiple burden of diseases complicated by HIV and AIDS and TB.
The new plan to be unveiled at Wits University tomorrow is expected to deal among others with how South Africa's universities can increase their out-put of medical graduates to cope with the demands. At the start of the academic year earlier this year, Wits University was able to increase its intake by admitting an additional 40 students from poor socio-economic backgrounds with good academic performance to study medicine at that institution.
Meanwhile, the health Minister is scheduled to address the opening of the WHO Regional Consultation conference on increasing health workforce capacity in Africa. The meeting, scheduled to start at 09H00 at the Burgers Park hotel in Tshwane will be adressed by the WHO Regional Director Dr Luis Gomes Sambo and Higher Education and Training Minister in South Africa Dr Blade Nzimande.
Members of the media are invited to the unveiling of the human resources plan for health scheduled to take place a follows:
Date: 11 October 2011
Time: 11H00
Venue: Marie Currie Lecture Theatre, Wits Medical school - 3 York Road, Parktown (Just behind Charlotte Maxeke Academic hospital).
For more information please contact:
Fidel Hadebe
Tel: 012 395 8493
Cell: 079 517 3333
