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Human Resources Management

The current health workforce crisis is widespread and could potentially reverse the health gains of the past decade in some developing countries. The challenges in the workforce are well known:

  • Countries often experience difficulties instituting human resource management systems for recruiting, hiring, promoting, and developing the health workforce
  • Health officials lack an approach for planning the workforce based on the appropriate skill mix and geographic distribution to meet the specific needs of the population
  • The health sector often lacks training and development programs for health workers to help them carry out their job functions. Often resulting in overall poor morale of the workforce
  • Often there are inadequate financial resources to provide an adequate supply of health workers and to compensate them appropriately
  • Payroll and banking arrangements are ineffective to ensure health workers are paid on time and in an efficient manner

 

Addressing health workforce challenges in a comprehensive and integrated manner is important for resolving the workforce crisis over the long-term.

Health Systems 20/20 will collaborate with other USAID projects to help developing countries address human resources for health issues. Suggested interventions could involve: assisting health institutions to develop systematic approaches to planning their workforce; developing human resource management systems that address recruitment, hiring, placement, and promotion/development of staff; and instituting training and skills development programs to ensure health officials and their staff have the necessary skills to function well in their positions.

The project can work with health sectors to develop and implement effective payroll systems and banking arrangements to ensure that health workers receive their pay in a timely manner. By addressing the health workforce challenges in a comprehensive and integrated manner, developing country health institutions will be enabled to effectively manage human resources, plan their workforce appropriately, and handle payroll to support effective implementation of population, health, and nutrition priority programs.