Swaziland
The smallest African country, Swaziland is landlocked within South Africa in the west, north and south, and borders Mozambique in the east. The country’s landscapes vary greatly and include mountains, savannas and a rainforest. Swaziland’s king, one of the world’s last absolute monarchs, rules over a million people, who have traditionally been farmers and herders. Now many Swazis work in the growing urban economy and in government.
The health care workforce in Swaziland has shifted as well. Swaziland is at the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with an estimated adult HIV prevalence of over 40%. While the country's need for human resources for health care has spiraled upward, its health workforce has suffered severe losses and reduced productivity. Some health professionals moved away from the public sector or left the region or country to pursue better employment opportunities; others abandoned the profession altogether. Additionally, it is estimated that Swaziland may lose 20 percent of its health workforce to HIV/AIDS in the near future.
IntraHealth is collaborating with Swaziland’s Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to assess the human resources challenges within the health care system, address them and strengthen HIV/AIDS services.
To reach these goals, the IntraHealth-led Capacity Project and the Southern African Human Capacity Development Coalition (SA-HCDC) are:
- Gathering data and analyzing the country's human resources situation, including gaps in health services and projection of future needs
- Facilitating the development and approval of an HIV/AIDS workplace policy
- Developing leadership and management capacity for improved management of HRH
- Assessing individual hospital climates, standards of care and employee satisfaction; creating tailored plans to address each site’s needs
- Improving human resources management and information systems to support and sustain health worker performance
- Developing a better educated and trained health care workforce
- Developing or strengthening quality and performance improvement initiatives
- Strengthening national capacity to provide HIV testing at all levels, including management for TB infections and improved laboratory support services
- Assisting with the implementation of the Health Sector Strategic Plan developed by the Ministry of Health.
Donor/Project: USAID (Capacity Project, Southern Africa Human Capacity Development Coalition Project)
Partners, Capacity Project: Training Resources Group, Inc. (TRG)
Partners, Southern Africa Human Capacity Development Coalition Project: East, Central and Southern Africa (ECSA) Health Community; the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD); the Council of Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA); Management Sciences for Health (MSH); TRG
Selected health statistics for Swaziland (WHO, accessed July 2007):
Life expectancy, in years (m/f): 38/37
Probability of dying under 5 years of age (per 1000 live births): 160
Adult prevalence of HIV/AIDS: 37.2–40.4%
Maternal mortality (per 100,000 live births): 370
Information on human resources in Swaziland from the Capacity Project website.