South Asia

This technical brief outlines a human resources information system pilot project in India and presents the key results from this effort. [adapted from author]

Contracting in private sector is promoted in developing countries facing human resources shortages as a challenge to reduce maternal mortality. This study explored provision, practice, performance, barriers to execution and views about contracting in specialists for emergency obstetric care in rural India. [from abstract]

The objective of the study was to determine the level of and factors influencing job satisfaction among public health professionals in the public sector. [from abstract]

This study was carried out to determine whether the selected government health facilities in Nepal satisfy the conditions for safe injections in terms of staff training, availability of sterile injectable equipment and their proper disposal after use; and to assess knowledge and attitudes of healthcare workers in these health care facilities with regard to injection safety. [from abstract]

This article outlines the issue of health worker migration and its impact on health systems of developing countries. It recommends a strategic approach by governments and other agencies for regulating the flow of health workers between countries using a range of policies and interventions to deal with the broader health system issues. [adapted from abstract]

This report outlines the outcomes on maternal and child health of a program focused on building a competent, skilled health workforce in Afghanistan, strengthening delivery of quality health care services, increasing demand for health services, integrating gender awareness and practices into health care services and sustaining systemwide progress. [adapted from author]

This 3 minute video discusses the improvement in maternal mortality rates due to the training and incentive programs that have increased the number of midwives to provide maternal care.

This guide is to help the facilitators and trainers in
organizing training in their countries to create health workforce strategic plans. The training is based on the World Health Organization’s Regional Guidelines for the Development of the
Health Workforce Strategic Plan in countries of the South-East Asia Region. [adapted from author]

This strategic plan is intended to provide directions for countries to develop comprehensive interventions to strengthen the management of health systems and health sector managers in a coherent and systematic manner. [adapted from author]

Beginning in 2001, the National Institute of Epidemiology admitted 80 trainees in its two-year field epidemiology training programme. This article evaluated the first seven years of the programme to identify strengths and weaknesses. [adapted from author]

The main objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of migration intentions in medical undergraduates, to elucidate the factors responsible and to analyze the attitudes and practices related to these intentions. [from abstract]

There is a paucity of knowledge concerning the roles of those who provide adolescent health services, care and information across the health and education sectors, how they are managed and educated, and the policies that guide their practice.

Needlestick injuries and other sharps-related injuries which expose health care professionals to bloodborne pathogens continue to be an important public health concern. This article presents comprehensive information on needlestick injuries (NSI), post exposure prophylaxis, precautions and suggestions for prevention of NSI in dentistry. [from abstract]

This questionnaire-based survey was carried out to find out the effectiveness of teachers training for medical education faculty on assessment (student evaluation) techniques. [adapted from author]

This study attempted to determine the best way to implement new strategies of medical abortion and increase safety and access using auxiliary nurse midwives trained as skilled birth attendants [adapted from author].

This review is to explore the factors affecting the uptake of skilled birth attendants for delivery and the issues associated with women’s role and choices of maternal health care service for delivery in Nepal. [from abstract]

The present study evaluates the cost–effectiveness and cost–utility of a trial task shifting approach to mental health services with the hope that the additional resources needed to train, pay and supervise the lay health workers used in the task-shifting approach to the primary care of common mental disorders would promote recovery and reduced disability in a more cost–effective manner than more conventional care. [adapted from author]

This book outlines the impact of a package of public health interventions aimed at improving the quality of care of informal village doctors in a rural area of Bangladesh, where village doctors are the primary group of informal healthcare providers practising and dispensing modern medicines. [adapted from publisher]

The objective of this article was to study the role of informal health practitioners in delays in initiating tuberculosis (TB) treatment in new smear-positive TB patients. [from author]

This study examined the performance motivation of community health workers and its determinants on India’s Accredited Social Health Activist program. [from abstract]

The overall objective of the report is to analyse the role of civil society engagement in enhancing the health service delivery in Nepal. Health service delivery is associated with the efficiency of human resource for health. [from author]

This report examines working conditions of health workers in Nepal in relation to income and incentives, work supplies and equipment, issues on safety and security and the role of local authorities and the community. [from summary]

The report analyses the Ministry of Health and Population Human Resources for Health Management system in Nepal. It examines the main gaps in the human resources management system in the health sector and makes recommendations for viable mechanisms to strengthen the system. [from summary]

This report provides insight into health workforce performance in Nepal, looking at the four dimensions of health workforce performance: availability, competency, responsiveness and productivity. It informs policy-makers and managers on interventions to improve health workforce performance in Nepal. [from summary]

This report analyses the current situation of HRH training, recruitment, placement and retention in the health system of Nepal with an emphasis on role of public private partnership to address the HRH related gaps with suitable policy interventions. [from summary]

The Ministry of Health and Population of Nepal has identified major challenges in human resources for health, specifically in the shortage, distribution and skill mix of health workers in the country. This report aims to provide insight into specific challenges and policy recommendations for the ministry and concerned stakeholders. [from summary]

This article compiles the information available on the health workforce of India from different sources and suggests a plan to address the shortages in different cadres. [from introduction]

To address its high maternal mortality rate, in particular the inequities in access to maternal health care services, the government of Pakistan created a new cadre of community-based midwives. This study is designed to address a critical gap in our knowledge about whether this cadre of workers, operating in the private health care context, will meet the expectation to provide care to the poorest and most marginalized women. [adapted from author]

Despite a widespread public health system, the private healthcare sector is the major provider of health care in rural India. This study describes the profile and medical practices of private rural health providers in rural Haryana, India. [from abstract]

The authors present the protocol of an evaluation of a district-level capacity-building intervention to identify the determinants of performance of health workers in managerial positions and to understand how changes (if any) are brought about. The scope for applying realist evaluation to study human resource management interventions in health is also discussed. [from abstract]