Achieving change
Achieving the right balance: the role of policy-making processes in managing human resources for health problems
Discussion paper proposing an explanation for the gap between policy formulation and implementation in human resource for health
Authors:
E. Egger; D. Lipson; O. Adams; WHO
Publisher:
World Health Organization , 2000
There is often a gap between health policy formulation and its practical implementation. This discussion paper seeks to understand the cause of that gap and uses a WHO framework for correcting what is proposed to be an imbalance between the many complex components and dynamics that form human resources for health policies (HRH).
The report is built upon a hypothesis that countries that successfully implement HRH policies and, as a result, ameliorate HRH problems are those that:
(1) adjust the specific HRH strategies to meet the demands of their country's health sector reforms, the political/macroeconomic context, and government administrative policies
(2) use policy-making processes that are consultative, "owned by the country", based on sound data, and supported by adequate human and financial resources. In other words, to achieve the right balance (number, type, distribution) in a country's health workforce may also require striking the right balance between context-appropriate strategies (content) and organizational change mechanisms (process).
The report is divided into five sections that examine the context, policies and support systems in various countries and assesses the nature and impact of different HRH policies across the world.
