Planning

Human Resources for Health: Foundation for Universal Health Coverage and the Post-2015 Development Agenda

This report describes the proceedings and main outcomes of the Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health in Recife, Brazil, from 10 to 13 November 2013.

Systematic Review of Kenya’s Programmatic Progress towards Universal Coverage and Its Effect on Health Equity

The purpose of this paper was to critically review the various initiatives that the government of Kenya has over the years initiated
towards enhancement of universal coverage in terms of policy reforms including health care financing. [from abstract]

The Study of the Rational Allocatio n of China’s Human Resources for Health

Through the supply and demand of China’s human resources for health status, age structure, educational level of existing health professionals and other aspects of statistical analysis to understand the current situation of China’s
health human resources, so as to put forward the healthy development of health human resource allocation optimization suggestions, and provide the basis for the formulation of relevant policies. [from abstract]

Health Diplomacy: A New Approach to the Muslim World?

Here we suggest several different mechanisms through which such links could be developed or enhanced, including: provision of relevant health solutions, applied research, cultural alignment and the development of collaborative networks. The Islamic tradition promotes the practice of medicine as a service to humanity. Physical and spiritual wellbeing are intimately related in popular Muslim consciousness. Thoughtful Health Diplomacy therefore has the potential to bridge the perceived divides between Western and predominantly Muslim nations. [from abstract]

Strategic Plan: Department of Health 2014/15 to 2018/19

The public health sector works to: promote health, prevent illness and injury, and influence the socio-economic and environmental determinants of health – including the social, economic, physical and environmental
factors that affect health. [from authors]

Annual Performance Plan: 2014/15-2016/17

This strategic plan therefore, contributes to South Africa’s efforts to reduce child and maternal mortality and to control communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as, in its efforts to encourage South Africans to embrace healthy lifestyle. [from introduction]

Human Resources in Health Research Institutions in Sub-Saharan African Countries: Results of a Questionnaire-Based Survey

To describe human capacity and staff movement in national health research institutions in 42 sub-Saharan African countries. [from abstract]

Pakistan’s Urbanization Challenges: Health

This paper provides a snapshot of health and population trends in Pakistan, with a view toward demonstrating the changing paradigm of the urban-rural dynamic. A new health systems governance assessment approach toward urbanization and health issues is subsequently discussed, and the paper outlines a new framework of principles and their pertinence. [from abstract]

Advocating for Malaria Elimination - Learning from the Successes of Other Infectious Disease Elimination Programmes

The global malaria community needs to work together, to ensure that the early steps towards the end goal of malaria elimination are taken.

The Role of Law and Governance Reform in the Global Response to Non-Communicable Diseases

This paper reviews the role of law and governance reform in that process. We highlight the need for a comprehensive approach that is grounded in the right to health and addresses three aspects: preventing NCDs and their risk factors, improving access to NCD treatments, and addressing the social impacts of illness. [from abstract]

Impact of Inefficient Manpower Planning on Burnout

Organizational burnout refers to the added pressure and exertion at work place working environment. It is the responsibility of Human resource department to manage the burnout issues related to employees with effective manpower planning. [adapted from abstract]

Integration of Oral Health into Primary Health Care System: Views of Primary Health Care Workers in Lagos State, Nigeria

The limited access to oral health care in developing countries can be greatly improved by integrating oral health into the Primary Health Care (PHC) system. This study was designed to assess the views of PHC workers on integrating oral health care into the PHC system. [from abstract]

“In the driver’s seat”: The Health Sector Strategic Master Plan as an Instrument for Aid Coordination in Mongolia

This research explores the extent to which the [Health Sector Strategic Master Plan (HSSMP)] process served as a mechanism for effective aid coordination while promoting ownership and capacity building and the lessons learned for the wider international development community. [adapted from abstract]

Improving the Process of Antenatal Care to Increase Detection of Women with High-Risk Conditions in Zonal Hospital of Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, India

Zonal Hospital, Mandi identified that they were not identifying women with high risk conditions during their antenatal care (ANC) clinic. By re-organizing the clinic, the hospital was able to increase the proportion of pregnant women identified as being at high-risk from 1.6% to 12.3% in a matter of weeks. [from abstract]

Health Sector Strategy and Economic Development in Cameroon: History, Challenges and Perspectives

There are complex and multisectoral interdependent relationships between health systems
and economic development in Cameroon that have been barely described in literature. Having analyzed these challenges, the author of this capstone proposes many policy alternatives to the Ministry of Public Health.

Using Workshops to Develop Theories of Change in Give Low and Middle Income Countries: Lessons from the Programme for Improving Mental Health Care (PRIME)

Theory of Change (ToC) approach workshops are a useful approach for developing ToCs as a basis for mental health care plans because they facilitate logical, evidence based and contextualised plans, while promoting stakeholder buy in.
Because of the existing hierarchies within some health systems, strategies such as limiting the types of participants
and stratifying the workshops can be used to ensure productive workshops.

Key Aspects of Health Policy Development to Improve Surgical Services in Uganda

Uganda, like other low-income sub-Saharan African countries, bears a heavy burden of surgical conditions with low surgical output in health facilities and significant unmet need for surgical care. To address this lack of adequate surgical services in Uganda, a diverse group of local stakeholders met in Kampala, Uganda, in May 2008 to develop a roadmap of key policy actions that would improve surgical services at the national level.This article is a critical discussion of these health policy priorities with references to recent literature. [adapted from abstract]

Localization of Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries in Response to Long-Term Increases in Energy Prices

External challenges to health systems have received little attention in recent years, including the increase of prices for petroleum-based products. Health systems are significant consumers of fossil fuels in the form of petroleum-based medical supplies; transportation of goods, personnel and patients; and fuel for lighting, heating, cooling and medical equipment. Long-term increases in petroleum prices in the global market will have potentially devastating effects on health sectors who already struggle to deliver services to remote parts of their catchment areas. [adapted from abstract]

Assessing Health Professional Education: Workshop Summary

While discussing larger philosophical topics on the role of assessment, participants at this two-day workshop also debated the role of assessments in so-called new disciplines and how these appraisals will lead to a ‘new professionalism’. [adapted from summary]

WHO Education Guidelines 2013: Transforming and Scaling Up Health Professionals’ Education and Training

With this publication, WHO issues its first guidelines for Transforming and Scaling up Health Professionals’ Education and Training. The guidelines are expected to give rise to regional and country based policy and technical dialogues with key stakeholders in education, health, finance and labour, on how best to finance health professional training and prepare health professionals for the 21st century.[from foreword]

Universal Truth: No Health Without a Workforce Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health Report

This flagship report was commissioned by the Global Health Workforce Alliance Secretariat and the World Health Organization to consolidate the latest information available on human resources for health and provide recommendations to the global community on how to attain, sustain and accelerate progress on universal health coverage. [from summary]

Global Health Workforce Alliance Strategy 2013-2016: Advancing the Health Workforce Agenda Within Universal Health Coverage

The Global Health Workforce Alliance’s strategy for 2013-2016 includes commitments to train, deploy and retain at least an additional 2.6 million health workers, develop evidence-based quality HRH plans, build a new long-term vision for HRH, increase accountability for HRH results and compel HRH stakeholders to take proactive roles in support of national HRH development strategies. [adapted from preface]

Consultation on the Libyan Health Systems: Towards Patient-Centred Services

The extra demand imposed upon the Libyan health services during and after the Libyan revolution in 2011
led the ailing health systems to collapse. To start the planning process to re-engineer the health sector, a conference was held in Tripoli, Libya to facilitate a consultative process between 500 Libyan health experts in order to identify the problems within the Libyan health system and propose potential solutions. This article summarises the 500 health expert recommendations that seized the opportunity to map a modern health systems to take the Libyan health sector into the 21st century.

Arguing for Universal Health Coverage

Intended for those organizations involved in health financing policy debates, this tool articulates the pro-[Universal Health Care] arguments, and presents relevant evidence and examples. It is designed to support policies that promote equity, efficiency and effectiveness, and ensure that the rights of the most vulnerable are not forgotten. [adapted from introduction]

Analysis of Human Resources for Health Strategies and Policies in 5 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, in Response to GFATM and PEPFAR-funded HIV-activities

A multi-country study was conducted from 2007 to 2011 in 5 countries (Angola, Burundi, Lesotho, Mozambique and South Africa), to assess the impact of GHIs on the health system, using a mixed methods design. This paper focuses on the impact of GFATM and PEPFAR on HRH policies. [from abstract]

Construction of a Decision Tool to Analyse Local Demand and Local Supply for GP Care Using a Synthetic Estimation Mode

This study addresses the growing academic and policy interest in the appropriate provision of local healthcare services to the healthcare needs of local populations to increase health status and decrease healthcare costs. However, for most local areas information on the demand for primary care and supply is missing.[from abstract]

Applying the HRH Action Framework to Develop Sustainable Excellence in the Health Supply Chain Workforce

The objective of this technical brief is to create a bridge between the supply chain management and human resources for health communities by describing how the HRH Action Framework can be applied to strengthen the health supply chain workforce, drawing on lessons learned and successes from applications in the health sector. [from author]

Road Map for Strengthening the Caribbean Health Workforce, 2012-2017

This road map proposes a five-year framework to guide policies for planning and managing the Caribbean workforce and education for enhancing the skills of that workforce. The thrust of the road map focuses on broadening primary health care access in the region and enhancing public health competencies, as well as strengthening the HRH planning and management capacity of the countries and the region. [from author]

Road Map for Scaling Up the Human Resources for Health for Improved Health Service Delivery in the African Region 2012-2015

The purpose of this document is to introduce the road map and highlight the key issues and challenges hindering the achievement of universal coverage of health care and relating to the human resources component of the health system. The document then sets forth a series of actions to be taken to overcome these challenges. [from author]

Analysis of Human Resources for Health Strategies and Policies in 5 Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa in Response to GFATM and PEPFAR-Funded HIV Activities

Since the need for additional human resources for health (HRH) was not initially considered by Global Health Initiatives, countries implemented short-term HRH strategies to allow antiretroviral scale-up. Such strategies differed from one country to another and slowly evolved to long-term HRH policies. This study examines the processes and content of the resulting HRH policy shifts in 5 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. [adapted from abstract]