Perception of community health workers regarding the value and role played by the general education and training certificate in ancillary health care in the Free State Province

English: In 2004, the Free State Department of Health (FSDoH) trained CHWs in the GETC in AHC qualification and in 2006 Free State Growth and Development Strategy (FSGDS) commissioned the department to conduct a research project to determine the role played by the qualification in improving community health care services and therefore the need for further training. Subsequently, an investigation was done to explore by means of focus group interviews the personal experiences, opinions and attitudes regarding the role of CHWs to: (i) assess and identify community health needs, (ii) execute primary health care talk, (iii) engage in basic health promotion with specific reference to preventing and managing accidents and disasters and (iv) referring clients to the formal health services and other health-related systems. All these four focus areas were used to determine the role and the value of the GETC in AHC qualification in improving community health care services in the Free State Province (FSP). The aim of the study was to determine the perceptions of CHWs regarding their experiences, opinions and attitudes as far as the value and role played by the GETC in AHC qualification in improving community health care services in the FSP. The study followed a descriptive, explorative and contextual design using a qualitative approach since the participants described and explored their perceptions in the context of the GETC in AHC qualification. Data were collected by means of focus group interviews to enable the participants to describe and explore their perceptions. Based on the literature in this study, it became clear that there are different concepts used to define and to determine the roles and training programmes for community health workers. In South Africa, the GETC in AHC qualification authorised by SAQA is used to empower community health workers with the skills and abilities to assess and provide health care towards community health care needs. In the case of the United States of America (USA) as well as Southern African Countries (SAC), the training of CHWs is determined by the roles they play in the community. According to the findings of the study it seems as if the training that CHWs received has contributed to the improvement of community health services in the FSP. However, the researcher is of the opinion that if the key role-players such as SAQA, HWSETA, FSDoH and Free State Provincial Government (FSPG) can consider the recommendations made in this study there can be further improvement in the training of CHWs as well as further improvement in the delivery of community health services in the FSP.