Sub-Saharan Africa

This article describes the imbalance between the influx of foreign nurses and the out-migration of indigenous personnel in South Africa. [adapted from introduction]

This article reports on the obstacles to care and the outcome of treatment for patients presenting with tuberculosis to four hospitals in the rural South African region of Sekhukhuneland. [adapted from article]

This paper documents the impact of the AIDS crisis on non-AIDS related health services in fourteen sub-Saharan African countries. [from introduction]

This paper reports on how to improve recruitment of surgical trainees and training of surgeons in Uganda, focusing on perceptions of potential trainees, trainers, and medical administrators. [from introduction]

Information on a country’s health workers is essential for planning and decision-making. The Capacity Project met with key decision-makers in Namibia to assess their information needs. This document describes the outcome and its impact on the Namibian health workforce. [adapted from author]

The shortages of teaching faculty and insufficient learning resources have hampered the traditionally intensive surgical training apprenticeships. To address this, Muhimbili University attempted to enhance technical skills in general surgery and emergency procedures for senior medical students by implementing a surgical skills practicum using locally developed simulation models. This article evaluates the effectiveness of the program. [adpated from abstract]

Most of the district health services in Malawi are provided by nurses and clinical health officers specially trained to provide services that would normally be provided by fully qualified doctors or specialists. This study explores how these cadres are managed and motivated and the impact this has on their performance. [adapted from abstract]

This study analyzed data from a human resources health facility survey conducted in Kenya. The study looked into the status of attrition rates and the proportion of attrition due to retirement, resignation or death among doctors, clinical officers, nurses and laboratory and pharmacy specialists in surveyed facilities. [adapted from abstract]

In resource-poor settings, the facility-based maternal death review or audit is one of the most promising strategies to improve health service performance. We aim to explore and describe health workers’ perceptions of facility-based maternal death reviews and to identify barriers to and facilitators of the implementation of this approach in pilot health facilities of Senegal. [from abstract]

This study sought to assess the impact of HIV/AIDS on the human resources in the health sector in Tanzania, to provide up to date and specific data on the needs and the supply of human resources in the health sector, and to inform the formulation of strategies for strengthening human resources in the health sector. [from summary]

The purpose of this study was to explore the role and importance of human resources for the scaling up of health services in low income countries. In two case studies [of Chad and Tanzania], we investigated the size, composition and structure of the current health work force; produced estimates of future human resource availability; estimated the quantity of human resources required significantly to scale up priority interventions towards 2015; and compared human resource availability and human resource requirements. [from introduction]

This article provides an assessment of the number and types of missed opportunities by health workers for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in Eastern Cape, South Africa. [adapted from introduction]

This article discusses the estimated requirements and imbalances of province-specific health personnel required for introducing cervical screening in South Africa. [adapted from introduction]

This article offers an analysis of the role community health worker programs and activities in South Africa. [adapted from introduction]

This article discusses the role of traditional healers in pediatric care in South Africa. [adapted from introduction]

This article discusses the feasibility of including traditional healers in the primary health care team to achieve true co-operation between the modern and the traditional health care sector in South Africa. [adapted from introduction]

Increasing the proportion of rural-origin students in health sciences faculties has been shown to be one way of addressing of health care professionals in rural areas. This article discusses a retrospective descriptive study to determine the proportion of rural-origin students
at all medical schools in South Africa. [adapted from abstract]

This presentation from the 2004 Seminar on Health and Migration details the effects of the international migration of Ghanian healthcare workers and the impact the Diaspora could have on the problem.

This presentation from the 2004 Seminar on Health and Migration details factors contributing to international migration of healthcare workers and strategies to counter this trend.

This report provides an overview of paid healthcare workers in Tanzania.

This technical paper analyzes the equity issues in HIV/AIDS health sector responses
in Malawi, including access to ART. [from executive summary]

This paper discusses the role and impact of community health workers in Nyanza Province, Kenya, in response to the growing demands the HIV epidemic has placed on the people and communities in this region. [adapted from abstract]

One of the main barriers to surgical care in resource-limited settings is the shortage of trained health workers. A number of approaches are being employed to overcome this shortage including the mobilization of non-physician clinicians to perform surgical and anesthetic tasks. This paper discusses some of the experiences of surgical task shifting to date, and outlines lessons from task shifting in the delivery of HIV/AIDS care in sub-Saharan Africa. [adapted from abstract]

The delegation of tasks from one cadre to another has been used in many countries for decades. However, rapidly increasing care needs and accelerating human resource crises in Africa have given task shifting new prominence and urgency. This commentary argues that task shifting holds great promise, but that any long-term success of task shifting hinges on serious political and financial commitments. [adapted from abstract]

This article provides an evaluation of an intervention using the Health Workers for Change initiative for improving the relationship between nurses and parents on a pediatric ward in a busy regional hospital in Tanzania. [adapted from abstract]

Well-documented shortages of health care workers in sub-Saharan Africa are exacerbated by the increased human resource demands of rapidly expanding HIV care and treatment programmes. The successful continuation of existing programmes is threatened by health care worker burnout and HIV-related illness. This article details the results of a study conducted among health providers in the Lusaka public health sector. [adapted from abstract]

There is growing evidence that informal payments for health care are fairly common in many low- and middle-income countries. Informal payments are reported to have a negative consequence on equity and quality of care; it has been suggested, however, that they may contribute to health worker motivation and retention. This study suggests that the practice of informal payments contributes to the general demotivation of health workers and negatively affects access to health care services and quality of the health system. [adapted from abstract]

The Capacity Project partnered with the Ministry of Health and other organizations to perform a pilot study to demonstrate the efficiency and the safety of matrones using active management of the third stage of labor with skilled birth attendants who were authorized to perform the practice and assessed factors that could affect their ability. [from author]

The HIV status of surgeons is a contentious matter in the context of the informed consent obtained from patients. This article presents the results of a survey of the views of practicing surgeons in South Africa regarding aspects of HIV and its impact on surgeons. [adapted from introduction]

In Southern Sudan, the Capacity Project is strengthening the Ministry of Health’s ability to hire, train and manage a high-quality health workforce. Opened in May 2008, the Project-supported resource center provides hospital staff, medical students and Ministry of Health personnel with print and electronic materials, library services, Internet access and computer training. [adapted from author]