National Policy

Policy Interventions that Attract Nurses to Rural Areas: a Multicountry Discrete Choice Experiment

The objective of this study was to model the relative effectiveness of different policy interventions on the recruitment of nurses to rural areas in three different countries. [from introduction]

Human Resource Development in Health: System for the Development of Competencies in Peru

To confront the common problems in the management and development of human resources for health, the ministry has created policy guidelines for HRH and is defining the competency profiles of health personnel at different levels. This document outlines the process and lessons learned. [adapted from author]

Kenya, South Africa and Thailand: a Study to Improve Human Resource Policies

A study across three countries to identify policies which would help recruit and retain health workers in rural areas revealed that there is a danger in one size fits all recommendations when it comes to designing human resource policies. Results also show that there is room for both financial and non-financial incentives in human resource interventions in developing countries. [from author]

Finding Middle Ground: Making Better Use of the African Private Health Sector through More Effective Regulations

This report highlights how changes in the legal and regulatory environment can facilitate expanded access to family planning and reproductive health services through Africa’s private health sector. Using laws and regulations from three Africa countries - Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria - this report presents a road map on how to review the most important laws governing the private sector, as well as key issues to assess. [from introduction]

Community Care Worker Mangement Policy Framework 2009

The policy framework is intended to provide an effective and efficient occupational workforce to support a comprehensive multidisciplinary health care service; strengthen partnerships between government, civil society and communities to consolidate, manage and focus the services offered by Community Care Workers; and delineate strategies that address systemic change within the complex systems both within the public sector and its partners. [from introduction]

Public-Sector Maternal Health Programs and Services for Rural Bangladesh

This paper assesses the development of maternal health services and policies in Bangladesh by reviewing policy and strategy documents since the country's independence in 1971, with primary focus on rural areas where three-fourths of the total population of reside. [adapted from abstract]

Cross-Country Review of Strategies of the German Development Cooperation to Strengthen Human Resources

Recent years have seen growing awareness of the importance of human resources for health in health systems and with it an intensifying of the international and national policies in place to steer a response. This paper looks at how governments and donors in five countries: Cameroon, Indonesia, Malawi, Rwanda and Tanzania, have translated such policies into action. [from abstract]

Assessing the Impact of a New Health Sector Pay System Upon NHS Staff in the United Kingdom

This paper reports on the design and implementation of a completely new pay system in the National Health Service (NHS) in England.Pay and pay systems are a critical element in any health sector human resource strategy. Changing a pay system can be one strategy to achieve or sustain organizational change. [from abstract]

Health Workforce and International Migration: Can New Zealand Compete?

This paper examines health workforce and migration policies in New Zealand, with a special focus on the international recruitment of doctors and nurses. [from abstract]

Establishing National Health Workforce Observatories: Challenges and Opportunities

This background paper attempts to address the basic concept of national HRH observatories including what can they do, how to mobilize and establish them, types of activities, organization and coordintation, finance and examples of outcomes. [adapted from author]

Working from the Inside: Mainstreaming HIV into Government Planning in Kenya

This brief describes the successful process of working within the government to achieve results in HIV planning. [adapted from author]

Policy on Quality in Health Care for South Africa

Knowing that quality is never an accident, always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution, and that it represents the wise choice of many alternatives, this abbreviated version of the Policy attempts to provide the strategic direction health facilities and officials need to follow to assure quality in health care and continuous improvement in the care that is being provided. Health care personnel are encouraged to use this copy of the Policy to focus their intentions and guide their efforts. [from foreword].

Guiding Principles for National Health Workforce Strategies

These guidelines help answer what national health workforce plans should contain and how they should be developed to give them the best chance of significantly improving health outcomes and moving countries as rapidly as possible towards universal access to essential health interventions. The guidelines should serve as overarching principles that will promote the success of health workforce plans, while ensuring that they are consistent with human rights. [adapted from author]

Impact of Wage Bill Policies on the Health Workforce

This presentation was given at the First Forum on Human Resources for Health in Kampala. It talks about goverment spending policies on health worker wages and how they affect the health workforce.

Why Policy Matters: Regulatory Barriers to Better Primary Care in Africa: Two Private Sector Examples

This paper examines recent experiences in Zambia, and Ethiopia that illustrate why policy matters for developing the private health sector and underscoring the need for rational regulatory policies and practices. [author’s description]

National Policy on Human Resources Development for Health (Afghanistan)

The goal of the human resources development policy is to ensure availability of suitably qualified appropriately skilled and motivated human resource for health at appropriate geographic level of pre-defined disciplines, for provision of essential health services of acceptable quality at affordable cost to the community. [author’s description]

Human Resources for Health Policy in Sierra Leone for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation

This HRH policy document addresses the production and utilization of Human Resources within the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone. It also responds to the contemporary challenges and developments including the exodus of human resources and advancement in technology. This policy intends to regulate and direct planning, production, management, utilization and monitoring of HR within the health sector. [from foreword]

Current Health Workforce and HRH Policy in Myanmar: the Way Forward

This brief article provides a general introduction to HRH policy and the HRH situation in Myanmar.

Human Resources for Health Policy

The purpose of this policy document is to seek to ensure that Human Resources for Health, and their related functions are given the prominence, importance and resource allocations they require as the most crucial factor for health service delivery. It addresses a number of salient Human Resources for Health issues, identified through studies and broad consultation that require urgent attention to promote good performance, productivity and cost-effective practices.

Global Tug-of-War for Health Care Workers

The international mobility of health workers is nothing new. In recent years, however, migration of health workers — from highly skilled physicians to those in lesser skilled positions, from the developing world to wealthier destinations — has increased. Moreover, the countries with the most alarming outflows include those sub-Saharan African nations suffering acutely from the HIV/AIDS epidemic and dwindling numbers of health workers. Controversy surrounds the proper role of policy interventions in the global labor market of health care professionals.

Role of Regulation in Influencing Income-Generating Activities Among Public Sector Doctors in Peru

The objective of this article is to examine in Peru the nature of dual practice (doctors holding two jobs at once - usually public sector doctors with private practices), the factors that influence individuals decisions to undertake dual practice, the conditions faced when doing so and the potential role of regulatory intervention in this area. [from abstract]

Critical Challenges for Human Resources for Health: a Regional View

This text presents the context and background, the methodology and some of the main results of the regional consultation on the critical challenges for human resources in health in the Americas. This consultation hopefully documents how the countries in the Americas are facing the main challenges to the development of the health workforce. The main results and suggestions by the actors consulted with regard to the role of international cooperation in the countries of the Region are presented, so that the countries and international agencies can better formulate common strategies of development and strengthening of the work force in health.

Improving Quality of Health Care Through Legislation and Regulation

This presentation was part of the ECSA 38th Regional Health Ministers’ Conference. It discusses the health sector vision, the role of the Department of Standards and Regulatory Services, the Nursing Council of Kenya, strategies to improve quality, the Kenya Quality Model, lessons learned and challenges.

To view this presentation, you must have either Microsoft PowerPoint or download the free PowerPoint Viewer.

Improving Quality of Care through Legislation and Regulation

This presentation was part of the ECSA 38th Regional Health Ministers’ Conference. It discusses the purpose of regulation , the responsibilities of self-regulation, implementing a framework for professional regulation, and the challenges involved.


To view this presentation, you must have either Microsoft PowerPoint or download the free PowerPoint Viewer.

Review of the Human Resource Content of PRSP and HIPC Documentation in 6 Selected African Countries

The HIPC/PRSP process is intended to be a major instrument for achieving improved service delivery for poor people Crucially, improved service delivery depends on having the right professional, technical and other human resources in the right place at the right time. This review examined for 6 African countries, the country based poverty reduction strategy paper (PRSP) documentation and the associated World Bank/IMF HIPC documentation for human resources for health content. These documents were supplemented with other relevant country documents such as health strategies. [from executive summar

Progress of Work HRH in Ethiopia

This presentation was part of the ECSA Workforce Observatory Meeting in Arusha. It discusses the activities being done in Ethiopia to develop its HRH Observatory to: establish a comprehensive and reliable HRH database improving the existing HIS; regularly define and update HRH status, needs and gaps of the whole health system (public, private, NGOs); and advocate for Technical Assistance for HRH for effective health service delivery. [adapted from author]

Implications of Health Sector Reform for Human Resources Development

The authors argue that health for all is not achievable in most countries without health sector reform that incorporates a process of coordinated health and human resources development. They examine the situation in countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region of the World Health Organization.

Internationally Recruited Nurses in London: Profile and Implications for Policy

The main objectives of this paper are to report on the country and demographic profile, motivations, experiences and career plans of recently recruited international nurses working in London, and to give a detailed insight into why they have come to the UK, and what are their future intentions. In order to put these findings in context, the paper also outlines the overall trends in numbers of nurses coming to the UK, and examines the policy context in which international recruitment activity has been conducted. [from introduction]

Zambian Health Workers Retention Scheme (ZHWRS) 2003-2004

To tackle problems of staff shortage and maldistribution, in 2003 the Government of the Republic of Zambia in partnership with the Royal Netherlands Government embarked on a Pilot Zambian Health Workers Retention Scheme (ZHWRS) for health professionals. The scheme had as first objective to replace the Dutch doctors, working under the bilateral agreement between Zambia and the Netherlands. A regular review process was included as part of the scheme. This report is from the Midterm review that took place in January 2005. [from introduction]