Brief Description

Lesotho has a fairly developed network of health-care facilities which has dramatically improved the physical access to health services, particularly in respect of primary health care. This access has been improved even further after the government abolished user fees at health centre level. However, many of these health facilities require extensive renovation and rehabilitation to bring them up to a common standard. Through the health sector project of the Millennium Challenge Corporationwhich is a compact agreed between the Government of Lesotho and the Government of the United States of America, up to 150 health facilities will be renovated during the next five years.

There is however a significant and noticeable lack of qualified Medical Doctors and other health care service providers to manage the health facilities and equipment due to high mobility of health care workers to other countries where the remuneration levels are significantly higher. A large number of trained clinical staff is being lost particularly to South Africa and overseas countries where the demand for health services is ever increasing partly due to the HIV&AIDS pandemic

The human resource crisis forms a major concern for the Government of Lesotho and especially for health service provision in the Kingdom. Repeated health workforce assessments also reveal an uneven distribution of the health workforce. While the majority of the population lives in rural areas, most health professionals work in urban areas or close to major cities.

Within the context of the short-term Emergency Human Resource Plan, this joint programme has been developed in close collaboration with WHO, UNDP and UNV with the objective of supporting the Government of Lesotho by deploying Medical Doctors for the provision of health care services at different levels of the health care system.

The joint programme is a stop gap measure designed to be complementary to the Governments training programme for medical staff, which normally requires a minimum training period of five years.

To date, six Medical Doctors have been recruited with competencies in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Psychiatry, Paediatrics’ and General Medicine. The Doctors have treated Over 10,000 Basotho with various ailments and complications resulting from HIV &AIDS.

Another Consultant Paediatrician has also been recruited in partnership with VSO to support the provision of health care services in the main referral hospital of Queen 2.

 OUTPUTS

Output 1 - High quality medical care provided in the beneficiary health facilities over the project duration.

•      Seven Medical doctors recruited to Lesotho

•      Specialized and general medical care provided to over 10, 000 Basotho:

o    Including in-patients and outpatients in selected health facilities; and

o    Three consultants Doctors including a Psychiatrist, Obstetrician Gynecologist and Pediatrician are serving as roving specialists to patients in other health facilities.

•      Weekly dialogues conducted since April 2010 to facilitate sharing of lessons and good practices amongst volunteer doctors and resident practioners.

Output 2 - Junior doctors and nursing personnel in the beneficiary health facilities given on the job training and supervision. 

•      Weekly On-the-job training for junior medical doctors and other clinical staff in the assigned health facilities since September 2010 when Consultant Doctors arrived.

•      Consultant Psychiatrist has provided training sessions in other health facilities per arrangement in at least five districts out of 10.

The immediate primary beneficiaries of this joint programme are the people from Lesotho, including poor urban and rural citizens who seek and receive improved health services from the nearest Government, CHAL, or Lesotho Red Cross Society health facilities.

The immediate beneficiaries also include medical officers and nursing personnel engaged in the different health facilities through capacity development activities such as on-the-job training and supportive supervision.

Secondary beneficiaries include those who, because of better access to- and better quality of- health services for everyone in the population, are less exposed to infectious diseases (such as TB).

Contact:

Mr. Momoh Jimmy
momoh.jimmy@undp.org