Table 1 Brief Timeline of LHW projects and historical landmarks in South Africa
From: Developing lay health worker policy in South Africa: a qualitative study
Date | Event |
|---|---|
1913 | Natives Land Act (7.3% of South African land dedicated for Africans' habitation) Signals a start of repressive racial legislation |
1930s | Lay people trained as malaria assistants |
1948 | Nationalist Party comes to power |
1940's-1990's | LHW projects emerge as a response to an healthcare system which was intentionally inequitably distributed under an apartheid regime Notably LHW projects remain outside of government health system |
1990 | ANC/PAC unbanned Signals the start of the end of apartheid |
1992-1994 | Preliminary ANC health plan; national LHW workshops/conferences |
1994 | First democratic elections (Mandela elected) Government adopts district health system which does not include LHWs |
post 1994 | Many former LHW projects collapsed |
Late 1990s-2000's | Uncoordinated re-emergence of LHW projects mainly within healthcare for people living with HIV/AIDS |
2003/4 | National Community Health Workers Policy Framework First formal recognition of LHWs by post apartheid government |
2004 | The Expanded Public Works Programme Social Sector Plan 2004/5 - 2008/9 (includes LHWs as home based workers within Public Works Programme) |
mid-late 2000's | Continued redevelopment of LHW policy |
November 2009 | Release of Community Care Worker Management Policy Framework(Draft Version 6.0, October 2009) |