Community Health Workers’ Salary in South African Rands
The healthcare system in South Africa is constantly evolving, and community health workers act as a bridge between formal healthcare institutions and communities. They provide health education, referral and follow-up, preventative health care, and home visiting services. Therefore, it makes us wonder how much money a community health worker makes.
In South Africa, community health workers can earn an average base salary of around R 206,397 per year. However, this is not a fixed amount and can vary based on your location, experience, education, etc. So, let’s look into the salary dynamics of community health workers in South Africa.
Community Health Worker Salary
Community health workers deal with both formal healthcare institutions and communities and help and support people and their families in managing the health and social services system. A community health worker can make an average base salary of around R206,397 per year, R14613 per month, R3776 per week, R1543 per day, and R113 per hour. Moreover, this is an average salary based on the reported wages in January 2023.
A community health worker in America makes about $37,053 per year, $2623 per month, and $20.39 per hour. For reference, this makes around 715,916 South African Rands per year, a significant difference between the salaries of the same job in two different countries.
The average base salary of community health workers did not increase significantly over the years. The unions have been fighting for them for over a decade to receive the same protection as other permanently employed government staff. However, as of 2020, only community health workers in Gauteng are eligible for pension and medical aid.
Salary Variations For Community Health Workers in South Africa
| Experience | Salary Range |
|---|---|
| Entry-level Community Health Worker | R5476 to R14253 per month |
| Community Health Worker with five years of experience | R7515 to R18545 per month |
Please note that this amount is fixed, and your salary may be less or more than the given figure range. The salary of a community health worker depends on a variety of different factors. However, this amount will give you an overview of how much a community health worker in South Africa earns.
What Does a Community Health Worker Do?
One of the primary duties of a community health worker is to provide knowledge to families and communities and educate them on different health issues like nutrition, hygiene, and infant and child care. Similarly, they are also responsible for raising awareness of the prevailing ailments in the community. Moreover, they explain concepts of immunization, family planning, risk factors and prevention of common infectious diseases, poisoning prevention, domestic violence, and substance abuse.
Community health workers visit families who cannot go to the hospital to monitor certain conditions regularly, like pregnancy, child growth and development, and environmental sanitation. Furthermore, they also distribute household medical supplies to prevent endemic diseases like malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, etc.
Additionally, they also collect data from households and communities and use it for medical health regulations. In short, community health workers communicate between communities and formal healthcare institutions.
What does the salary of Community Health Workers depend upon?
The salaries of community health workers largely depend on provincial government and non-profit organizations as they employ these workers from the communities they work in. Moreover, they have been given these workers minimum wage without any other financial protection like pensions. However, in Gauteng’s community, health workers are on government payroll and are classified as level 2 public servants with benefits like housing allowance, pension, and medical aid.
The salary of a community health worker also highly depends on their qualification, training, courses, and certifications. The CHWs with a higher education degree and courses get significantly higher salaries than others. So, your education directly influences your salary as a community health worker.
Experience also plays a vital role in determining a community health worker’s salary. As tabulated above, an experienced community health worker earns more than a beginner due to their practice and expertise in the field. Additionally, it also depends on geographic location because community health workers from Gauteng get more benefits and perks than others.
What is the average base salary of a community health worker in South Africa?
The average base salary of a community health worker in South Africa is around R 206,397 per year and R113 per hour.
What do community health workers do in South Africa?
The Community Health Worker Program in South Africa is focused on disease, particularly HIV, Aids, and TB care, treatment, and support.
What is the meaning of CHW?
CHW stands for Community Health Workers, front-line dedicated workers ready to provide primary healthcare to their local communities.
What are the communication skills for CHW?
A community health worker must be an efficient listener and communicate properly during conflict or stressful situations.
What is the minimum and maximum CHW salary per month in South Africa?
The minimum salary of a community health worker in South Africa is R5476, while the maximum salary is R18545 per month.
In essence, community health workers are a bridge between communities and formal healthcare institutions as they educate citizens on various diseases and provide basic health facilities. Furthermore, they make around R 206,397 per year in South Africa, and their salaries depend on their location, qualifications, and experience. So, if you are aspiring to join the community health workers’ team, read the blog thoroughly to understand their salary dynamics.
