Development Quality Partner – HWSETA
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.

The Course
A blend of theory and practical training, the Health Promotional Officer is a QCTO-accredited occupational qualification with the course breakdown being 25% knowledge, 38% practical skills, and 37% workplace experience. All theoretical training is a blend of online and contact sessions. You will be placed within our partner organizations for your practical training.

Why choose this course?

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. This is one of the 10 points in the five-year Health Sector 10 Point Plan, noted as ‘overhauling the healthcare system’.

It is also the fourth pillar of the Negotiated Service Delivery Agreement as ‘strengthening the effectiveness of the health system’ The caveat for the South African model should be built on the ward system that has been implemented in KwaZulu-Natal. Each ward should have one or more Primary Health Care (PHC) outreach teams. These teams are composed of a professional nurse, environmental health and health promotion practitioners as well as 4-5 community health workers who are expected to serve a population of approximately 7 660 people.

This is one of the 10 points in the five-year Health Sector 10 Point Plan, noted as ‘The model contains three streams:

  • A ward-based PHC outreach team for each electoral ward.
  • Strengthening school health services.
  • District-based clinical specialist teams with an initial focus on improving maternal and child health.

The duties of a Health Promotion officer are varied and include:

  • Providing basic nursing care
  • Treating simple diseases, injuries, and wounds and referring to clinics
  • Providing palliative care
  • Taking temperature, BP, pulse, and respiration
  • Checking on outbreaks of transmitted diseases, teaching, and referring for treatment
  • Check Sexually Transmitted infections, teach, and refer for treatment
  • Check children and refer them for immunization
  • Check pregnant mothers, mothers who have given birth, and their babies and refer them for treatment
  • HIV and AIDS testing and counseling
  • Check drug and substance abusers and refer them to rehabilitation centers
  • Tech people about the dangers of drug and substance abuse
  • Teach people about basic in-house hygiene, the environment, and water
  • Teach people about women, men’s and children’s health
  • Teach people about healthy lifestyles

Entry Requirements

NQF Level 1 or equivalent competencies in Mathematical Literacy and Communications
This qualification will allow you to move vertically to a:

  • Higher Certificate in Social Auxiliary Work at NQF Level 5
  • Further Education & Training Certificate: Community Health Work at NQF Level 4

Procedure towards competency
Classes are lecture-based with a certain amount of practical sessions and workplace training. Students are to compile a portfolio of evidence containing all of their assessments, practical tasks, workplace experience, and student feedback for the duration of the course. Students will only be found competent upon successful completion of the course and will receive their National Certificate once they pass EISA (External Integrates Summative Assessment) with 60%