Observatory of Human Resources in Health

Even though the situation of human resources in health varies between the countries of the Region of the Americas, all of them are confronted by deep imbalances in the availability, composition, and distribution of the work force. These imbalances can be present as acute shortages of health personnel, chronic and persistent problems of inappropriate distribution of the work force with regard to needs, or inequities in composition of health providers in relation to the population served. Combined with coexisting deteriorating working conditions, poor incentive systems, and lack of appropriate competency maintenance strategies, these situations often have serious implications for the efficient functioning of health systems and may be associated with severe inadequacies in the performance of health professionals. This document briefly reviews the experience of the Observatory of Human Resources in Health initiative, identifies some of the lessons learned, proposes new orientations for action, and searches for an intensified commitment from Member States with regard to its goals and main strategies.