Helping to plan for, find and keep the workforce needed to deliver health for all.
AHP is a social profit organisation that works with the South African government and civil society organisations to find solutions to Human Resources for Health challenges.
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Africa Health Placements is an organisation with a mission: to support and enhance healthcare systems in Africa, by finding, placing and retaining the right people for the job. Our aim is to fill the gaps left by the exodus of doctors from public service, and ultimately to help people to view the public sector in a new light - as truly viable and exciting career options. We do this by following a businesslike approach, focused on efficient service and effective marketing. We also strive to work with the people we recruit, every step of the way, to ensure that everything happens as smoothly and pleasantly as possible.
Brain drain has become endemic to the South African healthcare system, with as many as 50% of qualifying doctors emigrating each year, whilst 75% of what remains opt for the private sector. About 35% of public health posts in South Africa are vacant. Without a solid complement of qualified professionals on board, many of our facilities remain overcrowded and underserviced. This puts extra pressure on the few staff members who are there, making public service even less attractive as a career.
Our purpose is not only to fill the staffing gaps, but also to identify all the factors that contribute to this cycle, so as to create a sustainable new reality for public health.
To this end, we do not simply recruit, place, orientate and work on retaining candidates, but also conduct strategic monitoring and evaluation, from which we deliver much-needed advocacy and strategic consulting to our partners in public health.
Recruiting healthcare professionals to work in the public sector is the primary focus of what we do. What makes this a challenge is the diversity of requirements and legislation in different contexts, and matching this up to the unique needs and situation of specific candidates, so as to find "the perfect fit" for every situation.
To this end, we work with a number of specific recruitment scenarios:
Professional, permanent placements: The most common option, for candidates seeking a long term placement at a particular facility (these may be local or foreign appointments)
Placing temporary or locum health workers (of all cadres) into public sector and NGO posts.
The scope of our involvement includes:
Creating opportunities (through interaction with individual health system managers
Sourcing candidates for posts through creative marketing campaigns
Management and filtering of applications according to job specification and national legislation
Management of all administration legislated through government and regulatory body policy
Management of examination processes where relevant
Administration of final candidate placement and liaison with facility
Post placement orientation and ongoing support
AHP endeavours to offer world-class professional recruitment services, while at the same time abiding by a strict ethical code of recruitment.