Home page |  Intranet  |   Strategic Plan  |   YPIP / PSJP  |   Jobs  |   Contact  |    WAHO@Mail  | HRWEB
  •      
  •    
  •      
  •      
  •      
  •      
  •      
  •      
  •      
  •      
  •      
  •      
  •       
  •   
  •        

Programs

Programme –Development of Human Resources for health

Context

Personnel constitute one of the key elements in improving health care quality and delivery. The pursuit and growth of investment in the health sector are equally predicated on availability of health personnel. One of the several factors hampering availability of health personnel in the sub-region is brain drain, as a result of which West Africa finds itself deprived of some of its trained health personnel who take up employment elsewhere in the search of better living and working conditions. Intra-regional mobility of health professionals is limited by lack of reciprocal recognition of health certificates and qualifications among Member States and the linguistic barrier.
The curricula for training health professionals in the sub-region have not kept abreast with changes in disease patterns and management trends.

The challenges to development of human resources for health in the sub-region still include absence of reciprocal recognition of certificates, qualifications of health professionals by Member States; training the trainers; inadequate training of trainers, limited capacities of training institutions and development of young professionals.

In addition, there is poor human resource management in the sub-region leading to low moral, maldistribution and ageing of health workforce, which adversely affects performance.

Furthermore, improved access to health care services particularly for the rural population depends on the availability of community health workers. The presence of community health workers who are able to detect early clinical signs of disease may alert the emergence of an epidemic, which would lead to in its early containment.


Definied in Strategic orientation 1: Support for quality improvement of the health systems of the sub-region


Definition of the Problem

Health care delivery and quality, sub-regional mobility of health professionals, public/private investment in the health sector are impeded by inadequate qualified health professionals. Inadequate networking and collaboration in the health sector and the absence of reciprocal recognition of certificates and qualifications in WAHO Member States are additional constraints.

Strategic Objective 5

To facilitate education of health professionals that is responsive to essential health problems, as well as availability and mobility of human resources for health in the ECOWAS sub region.

Expected Outcome 5

Well qualified and motivated health workers available and retained in the ECOWAS sub region.

Intermediate Results

  • Reciprocal recognition of certificates and qualifications has become effective among Member States;
  • Database on health workers and needs established and regularly updated;
  • The human and infrastructural capacities of health training institutions, improved;
  • Health professionals have improved their competences and their linguistic skills ;
  • Data base on trainers, training institutions, and programmes strengthened, updated and accessible;
  • Strategies and plans for human resources for health developed and implemented by Member States.
  • The qualification and the status of community health workers are recognized in the ECOWAS region.

Priority Issues to be addressed under this programme

  • Training
  • Management of human resource for health

All the versions of this article: [English] [français] [Português]