Specialists

This article outlines the challenges facing the surgical workforce in Africa. Funding priorities in Africa typically favor infectious diseases, and surgery and perioperative care have been neglected, even though essential surgical care at district hospitals is more cost effective than some other highly prioritized interventions, such as antiretroviral therapy for HIV. There is a need to integrate surgical and anesthetic training programs so health personnel, particularly in rural areas, can treat the full range of diseases appropriate to that level of care. [adapted from author]

In rural areas across Australia the recruitment and retention of adequate numbers of medical specialists, including psychiatrists, has been a long outstanding problem. Latrobe Regional Hospital reached a major crisis in 1994, with only one psychiatrist and a large number of vacancies. This led to a focus on the recruitment and retention of psychiatrists in order to improve this essential element of the workforce. [from abstract]

The Curriculum for Master of Science Course in Integrated Emergency Surgery (Obstetrics, Gynecology and General Surgery) was developed to produce emergency surgical health officers in Ethiopia capable of handling common emergency obstetrical-gynecological and emergency general surgical procedures including trauma at an accessible locality. [author’s description]

This paper addresses the problem of wastage of the qualified labor force, which takes place both during the education process and when trained personnel try to find jobs in the local market. Reducing wastage at both the educational and labor levels should improve the capacity of social investment, thereby increasing the capacity of the health system as a whole to provide services, particularly to those populations who are most in need. [from abstract]

This manpower projection was undertaken by using the Canadian Medical Association Physician Resource Evaluation Template. This spreadsheet-based stock and flow model incorporates key parameters in estimating physician supply over the next 2 decades and enables planners to create various scenarios to test the effects on future supply. [author’s description]

Field epidemiology training programs have been successful models to address a country’s needs for a skilled public health workforce, partly due to their responsiveness to the countries’ unique needs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has partnered with ministries of health to strengthen their workforce through customized competency-based training programs. The standard curriculum has supported the development and expansion of programs while still allowing for adaptation. This article describes the process that was used to develop the curriculum, which, together with needs assessment and evaluation, is crucial for successful training programs.

Most children undergoing surgery in Kenya are anaesthetised by clinical officers or anaesthetists with minimal training in paediatric anaesthesia. This article details the statistics of how this personnel shortage impacts anaesthesia delivery. [from introduction]

Ongoing violence and several natural disasters have taken their toll on mental health in Pakistan. But a shortage of mental-health professionals and lack of access to psychological services means the needs of the Pakistani population are not being met. [adapted from author]