Now, in 2008 Task shifting is a hot topic precipitated by the ongoing crisis in human resources for health systems, which is compromising the extent and quality of health care. This debate has been occurring at various levels over the past year with WHO and other international partners and is a critical requirement for implementation of the HIV & AIDS and STI National Strategic Plan 2007 – 2011. It is currently the focus of the first global conference on task shifting. However, the consultative process in South Africa still has to include critical stakeholders in the health sector and the nursing profession in particular without delay
.It is now imperative that DENOSA opens the discussions on what it entails, considers the rationale and requirements for task shifting, the essential developmental processes, the involvement of key stakeholders including unions, professional and regulatory bodies. The checks and balances, policy and legislative changes for a supportive systemic environment and how we, as a national nursing organization, can play a critical role in strengthening the health system for improving access and health care coverage.
Task shifting is a new name for a recurring phenomenon of changes in scope of practice in many fields of health care and nursing in particular but has largely passed unnoticed and undefined. Task shifting is a process of delegation whereby tasks are moved, where appropriate, to less specialized health workers. According to WHO, by reorganizing the workforce in this way, task shifting presents a viable solution for improving health care coverage by making more efficient use of the human resources already available and increasing capacity while training and retention programmes are expanded. Task shifting has also been presented as having two components firstly, shifting tasks from one cadre of health care worker to another lower level worker and secondly, to a new cadre of health worker.
The major constraint to universal access to essential health services and implementing effective HIV and AIDS programmes is the global shortage of health workers, which is impacting negatively on public health care. According to the WHO of the 57 countries in crisis due to the serious shortage of health workers, 36 are in Africa. Task shifting is considered to be a suitable strategic intervention for strengthening health systems through skills development for promoting access to essential health services. However this cannot be an instant “quick fix” as we know previously with the introduction of the (then) new cadre of the Primary Health Care Nurse trained in clinical assessment, treatment and care and subsequently, the impact on clinic workloads of increasing access to primary health care by the introduction of free primary health care to pregnant women and children up to six years of age.
