Health Promotional Officer
Health Promotional Officer (HPO) is an entry-level qualification for anyone who wants to start a career in Ancillary Health Care Services.
HPO is a new profession in the health sector in South Africa and it deals primarily with the prevention of diseases and improving lifestyles.
What do Health Promotional Officer do?
The National Health Council has mandated massive improvement in health outcomes and for this to occur significant steps need to be taken in the restructuring of the health system.
The restructured health financing system – the National Health Insurance (NHI) – is being based on the ward system that has been implemented in KwaZulu-Natal. Each ward will have one or more Primary Health Care (PHC) outreach teams comprising a professional nurse, environmental health and health promotion practitioners as well as up to five community health workers who are expected to serve a population of approximately 7 660 people.
Duties are varied and include:
- Providing basic nursing care
- Treating simple diseases, injuries, wounds
and refer to clinics
- Providing palliative care
- Taking temperature, BP, pulse and respiration
- Checking on outbreaks of transmitted diseases, teach and refer for treatment
- Check Sexually Transmitted infections,teach and refer for treatment
- Check children and refer for immunisation
- Check pregnant mothers, mothers who have given birth and their babies and refer for treatment
- HIV and AIDS testing and counselling
- Check drug and substance abusers and refer them to rehabilitation centres
- Tech people about the dangers of drug and substance abuse
- Teach people about basic in-house hygiene, environment and water
- Teach people about women, men’s and children’s health
- Teach people about healthy lifestyles
Further Career Opportunities
1. Find employment.
- Major employer is Department of Health (Clinics, rehabilitation centres, testing and counselling centres) through its implementation of Primary Health Care Re-engineering under NHI.
- Other employers include Schools, waste disposal plants, water purification plants, local municipalities, Mental Health Centres, Old age homes, mines, Health Research centres, Cancer foundation, heart foundation, diabetes foundation, social department, department of housing and NGOs.
2. Enrol for higher level qualifications such as:
- Further Education and Training Certificate: Community Health Work
- Further Education and Training Certificate: Community Development: HIV/AIDS Support.
- Middle level Counsellor
- Higher Certificate in Social Auxiliary Work
Qualification
Occupational Certificate | SAQA Qualification No: 94597 | NQF Level 3 | 163 credits
Accreditation
QCTO Accredited
Duration
12 months full time study
Medium of instruction
English
Minimum Admission Requirements
- Grade 9 – 11 (but if you do not have a National Senior Certificate, you will need to complete a Foundational Learning Competence Certificate) OR
- Ancillary Health Care NQF Level 1
FEES
Total course fees:
R25 200
PLUS R350 Indemnity Insurance
Deposit:
R10 200 Tuition
PLUS R350 Registration Fee (to be paid in full upon Registration).
Balance R15 000 is payable in monthly instalments of R1 364 over 11 months from month of commencement.
Fees include full access to the online learning platform and one uniform.
Stationary Pack Needed
- 2 x Riems of Paper
- 1 x Lever Arch File 310mm x 280 mm
- 1 x Uniform Pants R150 (Not included in Tuition Fee) (Available at Reception)
- 1 x Uniform Top R150 (Not included in Tuition Fee) (Available at Reception)