Key finding: 10.6% of educators have been hospitalised in the previous 12 months. Another indication of educator's health status is that at least 75% have reported a visit to a health practitioner in the six months before the study. The most frequently reported diagnoses in the last five years before to the study were stress-related illnesses such as high blood pressure (15.6%), stomach ulcers (9.1% and diabetes (4.5%).

Results

In the previous 12 months, 10.6% of educators had been hospitalised, and 75% reported a visit to a health practitioner in the six months before the study.

The most frequently reported diagnoses in the last five years before the study were stress-related illnesses such as high blood pressure (15.6%), stomach ulcers (9.1% and diabetes (4.5%).

Nearly 1% of educators reported having been diagnosed with TB within the last five years, and 3.2% reported having had a cough that lasted more than two weeks. The low percentage of educators reporting to have TB is likely due to stigma.

The highest burden of absenteeism in the educator labour force is due, among others, to the high prevalence of high blood pressure, use of tobacco, being HIV positive, stomach ulcers, arthritis or rheumatism, high-risk drinking and associated high rates of absenteeism (Fact Sheet 4).

Other aspects strongly related to absenteeism and unhealthy days are low morale at the educational institution, intention to quit teaching, low job satisfaction and high job stress.

Educators reported that different forms of support, such as with HIV/AIDS, financial and medical treatments, would help to increase health-related productivity.

Recommendations

Prolonged illness associated with HIV and other chronic diseases is likely to erode the gains made in improving quality of education by the effect it will have on educators' productivity. This suggests that healthy educators will be forced to take additional teaching responsibilities, which might create more stress.

The study, therefore, recommends that the DoE and donor agencies establish and manage a workplace programme specifically to provide a comprehensive prevention and treatment programme for all illnesses, while at the same time, ensuring confidentiality for educators.

Such a programme should include stress reduction, counselling, assessment and adjustment of workload, and blood pressure and diabetes screening and treatment. This will provide a 'one stop', comprehensive prevention and treatment centre near the school. It will have the added benefits of reducing absenteeism from school; helping with adherence to treatment and disease management; and giving easy access to drugs that would prolong, and improve, quality of life.

Table: Size of population of educators suffering from chronic conditions that may affect health and may contribute to absenteeism