Resource Spotlight: Understanding the Complex Drivers of Intrinsic Motivation for Health Workers in Malawi
Malawi suffers from an acute human resources for health crisis, and in 2003, it was estimated that fewer than 4,000 doctors, nurses, and midwives were serving a population of approximately 12 million. In response, the government implemented an emergency human resources program to increase the number of health workers. However, the program relied heavily on financial incentives including salary top-ups and did not systematically employ nonfinancial incentives in health facilities.
Increasingly, human resource management efforts recognize that the intrinsic motivation of health workers is associated with higher levels of retention and service delivery performance. This report is a nationally representative study in Malawi that employed both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods to assess statistically significant drivers of intrinsic motivation for health workers of every cadre accross the entire health system including public, private for-profit, and faith-based health workers. [adapted from author]
View this resource.
The HRH Global Resource Center has other resources on this topic including:
- Health Worker Satisfaction and Motivation: An Empirical Study of Incomes, Allowances and Working Conditions in Zambia
- Institutions for Health Care Delivery: A Formal Exploration of What Matters to Health Workers
- Valuing Health Workers: Implementing Sustainable Interventions to Improve Health Worker Motivation
For additional resources on this topic, visit the Motivation subject category.
Past Resource Spotlights
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