Exploring factors motivating health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice in South Africa

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dc.contributor.advisorMcIntyre, Dien_ZA
dc.contributor.authorChitha, Wezileen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2014-11-09T15:52:04Z
dc.date.available2014-11-09T15:52:04Z
dc.date.issued2007en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references (leaves 159-168).en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThe South African National Department of Health (NDoH) has committed itself to ensure that there is equity in the distribution of health workers especially to rural areas primarily through service requirements and incentives. Despite all initiatives put in place, the national health system struggles to recruit and retain health workers in rural health system struggles to recruit and retain health workers in rural health facilities. While the majority of health workers choose to practise in urban areas, some choose to pursue and persist in a career in rural health practice. This study determines, in the South African context, factors that motivate health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice. It establishes what makes health workers choose to work in rural areas, what encourages them to stay in rural health practice and what tempts them to leave rural health practice. These factors interact at different levels, at the level of an individual health worker, of a rural health organisation or level of a rural community, to influence the decision of a health worker to choose, stay in or leave rural health pratice. The study combines both quantitative and qualitative methods in a cross-sectional survey to identify these factors from the perspective of rural health workers. It invites rural health workers to identify those factors that are applicable to them from the list of factors and rank them according to the degree of importance in their decision-making. A self-administered structured questionnaire and key informant interviews were used to collect data. The findings of this study show that rural background, desire to gain work experience, family obligations, prior interest in underserved area practice, desire or requirement to perform community service, desire to live in a rural area, family friendly enviornment and having friends living in a rural area are very important factors motivating health workers to choose a career in rural health practice.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationChitha, W. (2007). <i>Exploring factors motivating health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice in South Africa</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Health Economics Unit. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9451en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationChitha, Wezile. <i>"Exploring factors motivating health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice in South Africa."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Health Economics Unit, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9451en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationChitha, W. 2007. Exploring factors motivating health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice in South Africa. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Chitha, Wezile AB - The South African National Department of Health (NDoH) has committed itself to ensure that there is equity in the distribution of health workers especially to rural areas primarily through service requirements and incentives. Despite all initiatives put in place, the national health system struggles to recruit and retain health workers in rural health system struggles to recruit and retain health workers in rural health facilities. While the majority of health workers choose to practise in urban areas, some choose to pursue and persist in a career in rural health practice. This study determines, in the South African context, factors that motivate health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice. It establishes what makes health workers choose to work in rural areas, what encourages them to stay in rural health practice and what tempts them to leave rural health practice. These factors interact at different levels, at the level of an individual health worker, of a rural health organisation or level of a rural community, to influence the decision of a health worker to choose, stay in or leave rural health pratice. The study combines both quantitative and qualitative methods in a cross-sectional survey to identify these factors from the perspective of rural health workers. It invites rural health workers to identify those factors that are applicable to them from the list of factors and rank them according to the degree of importance in their decision-making. A self-administered structured questionnaire and key informant interviews were used to collect data. The findings of this study show that rural background, desire to gain work experience, family obligations, prior interest in underserved area practice, desire or requirement to perform community service, desire to live in a rural area, family friendly enviornment and having friends living in a rural area are very important factors motivating health workers to choose a career in rural health practice. DA - 2007 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2007 T1 - Exploring factors motivating health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice in South Africa TI - Exploring factors motivating health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice in South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9451 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/9451
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationChitha W. Exploring factors motivating health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice in South Africa. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Health Sciences ,Health Economics Unit, 2007 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9451en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentHealth Economics Uniten_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Health Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherHealth Economicsen_ZA
dc.titleExploring factors motivating health workers to choose and maintain a career in rural health practice in South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMPHen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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