Complex public health challenges demand highly skilled public health professional with knowledge and expertise that contribute to strengthen health systems for optimal service provision in South Africa. A close partnership needs to be established between the national health systems and MPH programmes to ensure that public health training targets management and planning strategies of health system.

Public Health in South Africa

The South African health strategies and performance of health system in district and provincial level public health units is fragmented and weak exacerbated by epidemiological transitions and characterised by persistently emerging non-communicable and infectious disease burdens. The shortfall in existing supervisory or managerial capacity and undersupply of public health professionals continues to threaten the success of healthcare system. African health programmes have ineffective health service management and poor resource allocation due to minimal public health training available to the clinicians.
The increasing global demand for highly skilled public health personnel has enforced the need to train South African public health professionals. The South African health system provides curatively oriented health service highlighted with a need to upscale the number of public health professionals through substantial training investment for effective health workforce. The expansion of postgraduate public health training fuelled by profound political changes is developed with advancing health system. The South African government is making efforts to enhance the qualifications of the staff with the emphasis on training.

Online MPH courses

National core competencies of MPH programmes battle to provide appropriate supply of well-trained public health professionals as a result of low throughput, high drop-out and delayed completion time. The key challenges impacting production of public health professionals are increasing number of enrolments coupled by insufficient teaching or academic staff and low graduate output. MPH programme standardization, benchmarking and quality assurance needs considerable attention. The limited number of MPH training institutions in South Africa makes online courses necessary. Poor stewardship and leadership in health sector coupled with high burden of emerging disease and epidemics requires adequate and highly trained public health professionals in health system.
Master of Public Health (MPH) programmes meet the demands of the healthcare system and contribute in equipping health personnel with adequate public health skills. The MPH programmes provide a wide range of specialisations with quality validation, assurance and assessment procedures with minimal external scrutiny. MPH programmes are run independently by universities or medical institutes aimed to empower health professionals to analyse, strategise and solve public health challenges in South Africa. Master level programmes provide analytical and management competencies to help shape the future of South Africa and perform advanced tasks in professional sector. These programmes increase the output of MPH graduates to ensure improved health service delivery and effective health outcomes.
The programmes with collaborative strategies handle key public health competencies by equipping various health practitioners belonging to a variety of disciplines to address risk factors affecting national and global burden of diseases at population level. Health professionals are trained by acknowledging skills in disciplines of biomedical and social science to define and resolve public health problems. MPH programmes address competencies and contribute to providing context-specific planning, leadership and management skills. The programmes equip practitioners and public health professionals to innovative research, latest scientific knowledge and multidisciplinary approach. MPH graduates demonstrate teamwork and communication skills; possess competencies in leadership policy development; develop critical systems and analytical thinking to improve population health and health system performance.

Online Course in Public health

James Lind Institute (JLI) provides an online program – Master in Public Health for better career options in South Africa. JLI also provides online programs in occupational health, public health leadership.
For more information please visit: www.jliedu.com