Reviewing Lesotho’S Health Sector Program
Lesotho, a country deeply affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, endures shortages in health workers as they leave for greener pastures in neighboring South Africa or further abroad.
On February 12, Dr. Kelello Lerotholi, the interim Lesotho Country Director for the Southern Africa Human Capacity Development (SAHCD) Coalition, a project funded by USAID through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, spoke at the 8th Annual Joint Review of the Lesotho Health Sector. Lerotholi’s presentation, “Health Workforce Shortfalls: Challenges and Options of Addressing the Crisis,” focused on the numbers of employees in each cadre of the Health and Social Welfare sector. He explored the systemic human resource-related inadequacies in the sector, and then offered suggestions for addressing the issues.
Lerotholi recommended increasing the number of workers entering the sector by expanding training institution infrastructure, recruiting tutors and reviewing leave policies. To improve staff retention, he suggested this could, in part, be achieved by strengthening management through a revised supervision system, as well as developing a comprehensive posting policy and monitoring its implementation. Lerotholi further recommended revising employment packages (so as to bring them in line with global trends), adopting task shifting and introducing a comprehensive continuing education program.
With regard to addressing overarching issues in the health care workforce system Lerotholi proposed involving the human resource department in all decisions and, a much greater degree of commitment by all Development Partners to supporting the emergency human resources plan. He also suggested supporting the staffing needs of the Christian Health Association of Lesotho, a participant in the SAHCD Coalition-supported Leadership Development Program, through equalized remuneration packages.
Lesotho’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare organized the review to assess the progress of the first Three Year Sector Program (2005–2008). This program aims to increase access to quality health and social services and to increase the efficiency of health sector resource allocation and use through policy and institutional reforms.
The IntraHealth-led Southern African Human Capacity Development Coalition, a an Associate Award of the Capacity Project, works in Swaziland and Lesotho to improve the delivery of HIV/AIDS services by strengthening the capacity of health workers, policy makers and planners, program managers, educational faculties and institutions, communities and families.