Advancing the science behind human resources for health: highlights from the Health Policy and Systems Research Reader on Human Resources for Health
Date
2018Author
George, Asha S.
Campbell, J.
Ghaffar, A.
HPSR HRH reader collaborators
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Health workers are central to people-centred health systems, resilient economies and sustainable development.
Given the rising importance of the health workforce, changing human resource for health (HRH) policy and practice
and recent health policy and systems research (HPSR) advances, it is critical to reassess and reinvigorate the science
behind HRH as part of health systems strengthening and social development more broadly. Building on the recently
published Health Policy and Systems Research Reader on Human Resources for Health (the Reader), this commentary
reflects on the added value of HPSR underpinning HRH. HPSR does so by strengthening the multi-disciplinary base and
rigour of HRH research by (1) valuing diverse research inferences and (2) deepening research enquiry and quality. It
also anchors the relevance of HRH research for HRH policy and practice by (3) broadening conceptual boundaries and
(4) strengthening policy engagement. Most importantly, HPSR enables us to transform HRH from being faceless
numbers or units of health producers to the heart and soul of health systems and vital change agents in our
communities and societies. Health workers’ identities and motivation, daily routines and negotiations, and training and
working environments are at the centre of successes and failures of health interventions, health system functioning
and broader social development. Further, in an increasingly complex globalised economy, the expansion of the health
sector as an arena for employment and the liberalisation of labour markets has contributed to the unprecedented
movement of health workers, many or most of whom are women, not only between public and private health sectors,
but also across borders. Yet, these political, human development and labour market realities are often set aside or
elided altogether. Health workers’ lives and livelihoods, their contributions and commitments, and their individual and
collective agency are ignored. The science of HRH, offering new discoveries and deeper understanding of how
universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals are dependent on millions of health workers
globally, has the potential to overcome this outdated and ineffective orthodoxy.
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Assessment of the uptake of neonatal and young infant referrals by community health workers to public health facilities in an urban informal settlement, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Nsibande, Duduzile; Doherty, Tanya; Ijumba, Petrida; Tomlinson, Mark; Jackson, Debra; Sanders, David; Lawn, Joy (Biomed CentralBiomed Central, 2013)Background: Globally, 40% of the 7.6 million deaths of children under five every year occur in the neonatal period (first 28 days after birth). Increased and earlier recognition of illness facilitated by community health ... -
The importance of gender analysis in research for health systems strengthening
Theobald, Sally; Morgan, Rosemary; Hawkins, Kate; Ssali, Sarah; George, Asha S.; Molyneux, Sassy (Oxford University Press, 2017)This editorial discusses a collection of papers examining gender across a range of health policy and systems contexts, from access to services, governance, health financing, and human resources for health. The papers ... -
The global pendulum swing towards community health workers in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review of trends, geographical distribution and programmatic orientations, 2005 to 2014
Schneider, Helen; Okello, Dickson; Lehmann, Uta (BioMed Central, 2016)BACKGROUND: There has been a substantial increase in publications and interest in community health workers (CHWs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) over the last years. This paper examines the growth, geographical ...