• Medical workforce

Medical workforce

This article, published in Human Resources for Health, examines the number, distribution, and continuing education of physicians in Lebanon, using data from a 1998 survey. It reports that there are 248 physicians per 100,000 people in Lebanon – one of the highest ratios in the region – although this number varied widely between different parts of the country. The paper explains that civil stability in Lebanon at the time of the survey led to the return of many physicians studying abroad, and the opening of new medical schools. Most physicians had taken part in continuing education during the past year, usually in the form of attending conferences.

The paper argues that there is an over-supply of physicians in Lebanon and calls for strategies to reduce the flow of new physicians into the system. More attention is also needed to the availability and practice style of other health professionals, such as nurses. Regarding continuing education, the paper raises doubts about the quality of information disseminated through conferences, and suggests that other avenues to continuing education were poorly used. It calls for conferences to be well organised, monitored and evaluated; and for medical societies to promote scientific literature as a source of knowledge.

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