Friday, February 22, 2008

[EQ] Finding solutions to the human resources for health crisis

Finding solutions to the human resources for health crisis

The Lancet, Volume 371, Number 9613, 23 February 2008

Website: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608602743/fulltext  
[Free subscription required]

 

“….The depth and breadth of the human resources for health crisis are discussed in detail in this week's special issue, which coincides with the first-ever Global Forum on Human Resources for Health convened by the Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA) in Kampala, Uganda.

This Forum will launch the Global Action Plan for Human Resources for Health, which will guide action over the coming decade and serve as a much needed tool to measure progress and monitor accountability. This action plan is an opportunity to make a real and lasting impact on the human resources crisis….”

 

Training the health workforce: scaling up, saving lives
Nigel Crisp, Bience Gawanas, Imogen Sharp, Task Force for Scaling Up Education and Training for Health Workers
URL: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608603098/fulltext

Forging solutions to health worker migration
Mary Robinson, Peggy Clark
URL: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608603104/fulltext

Planning and costing human resources for health
Amanda Glassman, Loren Becker, Marty Makinen, David de Ferranti
URL: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608603116/fulltext

 

Salaries and incomes of health workers in sub-Saharan Africa
David McCoy, Sara Bennett, Sophie Witter, Bob Pond, Brook Baker, Jeff Gow, Sudeep Chand, Tim Ensor, Barbara McPake
URL: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608603062/fulltext

 

“…..Public-sector health workers are vital to the functioning of health systems. We aimed to investigate pay structures for health workers in the public sector in sub-Saharan Africa; the adequacy of incomes for health workers; the management of public-sector pay; and the fiscal and macroeconomic factors that impinge on pay policy for the public sector. Because salary differentials affect staff migration and retention, we also discuss pay in the private sector. We surveyed historical trends in the pay of civil servants in Africa over the past 40 years. We used some empirical data, but found that accurate and complete data were scarce.
The available data suggested that pay structures vary across countries, and are often structured in complex ways. Health workers also commonly use other sources of income to supplement their formal pay. The pay and income of health workers varies widely, whether between countries, by comparison with cost of living, or between the public and private sectors. To optimise the distribution and mix of health workers, policy interventions to address their pay and incomes are needed. Fiscal constraints to increased salaries might need to be overcome in many countries, and non-financial incentives improved…”

 

Effects of policy options for human resources for health: an analysis of systematic reviews
Mickey Chopra, Salla Munro, John N Lavis, Gunn Vist, Sara Bennett
URL: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608603050/fulltext


“…Policy makers face challenges to ensure an appropriate supply and distribution of trained health workers and to manage their performance in delivery of services, especially in countries with low and middle incomes. We aimed to identify all available policy options to address human resources for health in such countries, and to assess the effectiveness of these policy options….”

 

Understanding women's contribution to the health workforce
Mario R Dal Poz
Book review: Exploring the Gender Dimensions of the Global Health Workforce
Laura  Reichenbach, eds. Global Equity Initiative Harvard University, 2007

URL: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673608602895/fulltext


“…..A critical limitation in improving gender analysis, as recognised by Reichenbach and her colleagues, is the lack of data and the fact that what data are available are not disaggregated by sex. In overcoming this limitation, the contribution of women to health-care delivery and participation in the health workforce could be much better represented. For these reasons, the case studies put together by Reichenbach are a welcome contribution to understanding the development needs of the health workforce from a gender perspective…”


 

 

 


 
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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ IKM Area] 

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is".Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

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[EQ] WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health - Final reports of the Knowledge Networks

Final reports and additional documents of the Knowledge Networks

WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH)

“….To supports countries and global health partners to address the social factors leading to ill health and inequities. It draws the attention of society to the social determinants of health that are known to be among the worst causes of poor health and inequalities between and within countries….”

Website: http://www.who.int/social_determinants/knowledge_networks/en/index.html

Reports submitted to the Commission as well as additional documents prepared by them:

Early Child Development
Well established evidence illustrates that opportunities provided to young children are crucial in shaping lifelong health and development status.
Final report of the Early Child Development Knowledge Network [pdf 7.63Mb]

Evidence Report: Total Environment Assessment Model for Early Child Development

Globalisation
The scope is to examine how globalization’s dynamics and processes affect health outcomes: trade liberalization, integration of production of goods.
Final report of the Globalisation Knowledge Network [pdf 1.38Mb]

Health Systems
The focus will be on innovative approaches that effectively incorporate action on social determinants of health.
Final report of the Health Systems Knowledge Networks [pdf 1.19Mb]

Urban Settings
The focus will be on urbanizations, particularly broad policy interventions related to healthy urbanization, and will closely examine slum upgrading.
Final report of the Urban Settings Knowledge Network [pdf 786kb]

Appendices [pdf 1.40Mb]

Employment Conditions
It will help to develop measures to clarify how different types of jobs, threat of unemployment affect workers’ health.
Final report of the Employment Conditions Knowledge Network [pdf 1.30Mb]

Women and Gender Equity
The focus is on mechanisms, processes and actions that can be taken to reduce gender-based inequities in health by examining different areas.
Final report of the Women and Gender Equity Knowledge Network [pdf 753kb]

Measurement and Evidence
The focus is on leading the development of methodologies and tools for measuring the causes, pathways and health outcomes of policy interventions
Final report of the Measurement and Evidence Knowledge Network [pdf 618kb]

Guide to constructing the evidence base on Social Determinants of Health

 

 

Social Exclusion Knowledge Network
It will examine the relational processes that lead to the exclusion of particular groups of people from engaging fully in community, social life.
Scoping paper
: SEKN scoping paper [pdf 193kb]

 

Priority Public Health Conditions Knowledge Network
It will review factors in the design and implementation of programs that increase access to health care for socially and economically disadvantaged groups.

Scoping paper -Priority Public Health Conditions scoping paper [pdf 881kb]


 
*      *      *     * 

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ IKM Area] 

“Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is".Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members”.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org/

EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove: http://listserv.paho.org/Archives/equidad.html

 

 

    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.