Moving Towards a South African NHI System of Excellence: Recommendations Based on the Insider Perspectives of CHWs as Key Role-Players

Aligned with the worldwide shift towards promotional and preventative health care, the South African government has introduced a re-engineered primary health care plan, facilitated through a National Health Insurance (NHI) platform. Community health workers (CHWs) are key role-players in most universal health care systems. This article shares insider perspectives from 31 CHWs in one of the South African NHI pilot districts. Based on their perspectives, the authors share recommendations to strengthen the NHI plan. Recommendations comprise of the inclusion of a dedicated CHW team leader and reporting nurse, ongoing CHW education and training with an accompanying portfolio of evidence, and awareness campaigns on the role of CHWs within the South African re-engineered primary health care plan and NHI platform.