Resource Spotlight: First GHWA Forum on Human Resources for Health in Kampala
The first Global Forum on Human Resources for Health was held in Kampala, Uganda from 2-7 March, 2008. It called for immediate and sustained action to resolve the critical shortage of health workers around the world. Attendees at the Forum endorsed the Kampala Declaration and the Agenda for Global Action. This high profile event was attended by nearly 1500 participants, including donors, experts and ministers of health, education and finance. [from conference website]
Ummuro Adano, HR Systems Advisor for Capacity Project, reported back on some of the sessions including what he rated as the most useful presentation, the plenary session given by Dr. Raja Gupta, Chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Some of Dr. Gupta’s suggestions for addressing the HRH crisis are to:
- Increase the productivity of health workers. This includes better incentives, performance management and professional development;
- Increase the over-all effectiveness of the health system in each country from community level to district to regional and national levels, including effective information systems;
- Develop strong leadership and management to improve the productivity of health workers and health systems;
- Encourage governments to create management and leadership at all levels;
- Create new cadres in management and leadership – they are just as important as medical knowledge; and
- Demand more accountability in the health sector. [adapted from Ummuro Adano]
The HRH Global Resource Center has more than 25 presentations and resources from this valuable conference such as:
- Uganda Health Workforce Study: Satisfaction and Intent to Stay Among Health Workers in Public and PNFP Facilities
- Philippine HRH Master Plan (2005-2030)
- Trends, Magnitude, and Reasons of Nurse Migration out of Lebanon
- Human Resources Retention Scheme: Qualitative and Quantitative Experience from Zambia
- Financing Human Resources for Health: Five Questions for the International Community
- Strengthening Health Leadership and Management: the WHO Framework
- Recruitment and Placement of Foreign Health Care Professionals to Work in the Public Sector Health Care in South Africa: Assessment
For more presentations from the conference, see the HRH Global Resource Center search or visit the forum website.
Past Resource Spotlights
- Task Shifting to Tackle Health Worker Shortages
- Where Have All the Workers Gone? The Extent of the Global Healthcare Worker Shortage, Why Workers are Leaving and Some Strategies for Addressing the Crisis
- Guideline for Incorporating New Cadres of Health Workers to Increase Accessibility and Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy
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