Skilling, recruiting and retaining health workers is a critical problem in providing health services to rural areas, Deputy Health Minister Dr Molefi Sefularo said on Thursday.

"The crucial role of human resources in health systems cannot be over-emphasised. The health professionals remain the only single precious commodity whose contribution cannot be reduced to rands and cents," Sefularo said in an address delivered at the launch of the Centre for Rural Health at the University of the Witwaterstrand.

"I do not need to remind you that we can have all these policies and practices backed by well-researched interventions, but if we do not have adequate and correct human capital, our brilliant plans will amount to nothing," he said.

He said one of the main constraints to health programmes fulfilling their objectives was a shortage of personnel.

The health sector was labour intensive and depended on the "precise application of the knowledge and skills of its work force to ensure patient security and health.

"Therefore, underproduction of the health professionals on one side and increased burden of diseases on the other have a domino effect on the quality of health services."

Sefularo said a proposal was developed by the Rural Doctors Association of South Africa (RuDasa), in cooperation with the new centre, to employ an expert to help develop this area further.

The introduction of community service also gave personnel levels a boost.

Other challenges to providing health care to rural communities lie outside the health department's control.

These included poverty, unemployment and poor housing and sanitation infrastructure - which led to the spread of pollution and diseases.

"As a result of this, health can never succeed unless attention is paid to the rural areas," he said.

Sefularo proposed an integrated approach toward service delivery. He said government, non-governmental organisations and business should "act collectively" to resolve the "social and economic crisis" in the country.

"There is a need to bring rural health more sharply into focus and to delineate the issues for all those who have a role to play in rural health care development. "

He added that the centre played a key role in improving rural health care by helping with education and training and supporting the recruitment and retention of staff to provide services.