Community health workers are at the core of the delivery of integrated community health interventions in Botswana. For many individuals and families in communities, community health workers are the first point of contact for their health care needs. As an integral component of a people-centred health system for Botswana, community health workers fulfil their role within the context of laws, policies, guidelines and standards that govern both health care providers and health system users. Embedded in this context, are important laws, principles and practices related to human rights and medical ethics.Â
The aim of this module is to ensure the community health workers undertake and fulfil their responsibilities to the people of the Botswana with full knowledge of human rights and medical ethics as they relate to the provision of health care services in communities. By completing this module, you will be able to increase your knowledge, confidence and skill regarding the human-rights-based approach to health and health care delivery, and be more aware and confident regarding the ethical principles and practices that apply to all health care encounters, wherever and whenever they occur.Â
Hopefully, what you will also come to discover is that what we call human rights and medical ethics are often things we instinctively do or believe as members of the human family for our own health and well-being, and for the health and well-being of those around us regardless of who they are or our relationship to them.
