id21 insights health #7, August 2005

Responding to the health workforce crisis

The shortage of health workers with the right expertise and experience has reached crisis levels in many developing countries. The ability of health services to deliver care depends on the knowledge, skills and motivation of health workers. Without enough skilled staff in the right place at the right time health systems cannot function effectively and populations are left without the treatment and support they need.
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Other articles in this issue:

Stopping the migration of Ghana’s health workers

Ghana’s health sector has lost many health care workers, including those migrating to other countries. Strategies aimed at keeping personnel have had varied results.

Committing donors to building health workforces

A major report from the Joint Learning Initiative suggests that donors can support the growth and better performance of health workforces in developing countries by providing technical support and mobilising adequate financial resources.

Human resources for health

Overcoming the crisis

Health system weaknesses mean that death rates are rising and life expectancy is falling in the poorest countries, despite the global health advances of recent years. Health workers hold the key to tackling these challenges. But urgent action is needed to improve the supply, capacity and distribution of the global health workforce.

Tackling international health worker recruitment

Billions of dollars have been invested in efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and other diseases in the world’s poorest countries. Yet at the same time, qualified health workers are leaving the same areas to work in the world’s richest countries.

Filling the gaps

Introducing substitute health workers in Africa

Massive shortages in trained health care professionals in sub-Saharan Africa have led to an examination of substitute health workers as an immediate response to the workforce crisis.

Finding the answers to Chad’s health workforce crisis

With a population of more than 8 million, Chad has around 3,600 health workers: 50 percent of these are unskilled, and 35 percent are nurses and midwives. Chad also faces geographical imbalances in the distribution of health professionals, with approximately half working in the capital N’Djamena.

Decentralising health workforce management in China and South Africa

Decentralising health workforce management may help local services to coordinate and plan their human resources more effectively to meet health care needs.

Volunteers can contribute to health care

Developing countries have lost thousands of skilled health care workers to developed countries. One way to redress this imbalance is to develop innovative methods for training and developing the skills of health care staff in developing countries. Volunteers from developed countries can help to train and motivate health care workers who remain. They are also important in emergencies and in filling vacant posts.

Useful web links

Further web resources.

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