AHOPlatform on Health Systems and Policies’ Post

Next week, WHO/AFRO will launch the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter at a Forum in Namibia! IntraHealth is proud to support the Charter and Forum and urges all ministers, donors, and civil society invited to attend and make concrete commitments to #InvestInHealthWorkers! Read WHO/AFRO's press release: https://lnkd.in/eGxi5m-u Africa is facing a shortage of 5.3 million health workers needed to reach universal health coverage, along with other challenges, including rising unemployment, excessive out-migration, and low quality of training. The Charter boldly aims to cut Africa's health workforce shortage in half by mobilizing and aligning domestic and partner funding to strengthen, grow, and retain the continent’s health workforce, especially in rural and primary health care settings. On May 6 - 8 the African Health Workforce Investment Forum will engage African ministers of health, finance, education, and labor, along with 150 other stakeholders. Thanks to Janet Muriuki, our director of health workforce development, for serving on the expert Technical Working Group finalizing the Charter and representing IntraHealth at the Forum. WHO/AFRO is organizing the Forum. Other partners supporting the Forum include the International Labour Organization-OECD-WHO Working for Health (W4H) Programme and its Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), The Global Fund and Frontline Health Workers Coalition. #HealthWorkers #HealthSystems World Health Organization

📣 In one week, the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) will launch the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter at a Forum in Windhoek, Namibia! The Charter boldly aims to cut Africa's health workforce shortage in half. Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/eGxi5m-u Africa is facing a shortage of 5.3 million health workers needed to reach universal health coverage, along with other challenges, including rising unemployment, excessive out-migration, and low quality of training. WHO/AFRO, in collaboration with Member States and partners, developed the Charter to mobilize and align domestic and partner funding to strengthen, grow and retain the continent’s health workforce, especially in rural and primary health care settings. On May 6 - 8 the African Health Workforce Investment Forum will engage African ministers of health, finance, education, and labor, along with 150 other stakeholders. We're proud to support the Charter and the Forum and urge all ministers, as well as donors, multilateral institutions, and civil society invited to attend the Forum and make concrete commitments to #InvestInHealthWorkers. WHO/AFRO is organizing the Forum. Other partners supporting the Forum include the International Labour Organization-OECD-WHO Working for Health (W4H) Programme and its Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), and The Global Fund. #InvestInHealthWorkers #HealthWorkers #HealthSystems World Health Organization

#ICYMI William Mubiru, health systems and workforce expert in Uganda, comments on the new Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter and what he thinks the next phase of investment in Uganda should focus on. He thinks investments should prioritize: ⭐ Building the capacity of health workers ⭐ Performance management—especially for improving health worker productivity & motivation ⭐ Continuing to digitalize health workforce data and strengthening use of that data for decision-making ⭐ Improving public financial management and resource allocation ⭐ Community health systems and roll out paid, trained, equipped, and supervised community health extension workers. Read more in this Q&A: https://lnkd.in/efkVeKAp #HealthWorkers #AfricaHealthWorkforceInvestmentCharter #InvestInHealthWorkers

The World Health Organization Africa launched a Health Workforce Investment Charter. This should serve as a good guide for member states in steering resources to strengthen and develop health workforce. It is, however, ironical already that they are keen on ‘retention of health workers’ when the same members states such as Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria are advanced in their push for ‘migration policy’ that enables ‘bilateral arrangements’ for export of health workforce. The challenge will remain the translation of these nice things to practice as already said by the Namibian Prime Minister.

Africa Launches Historic Health Investment Charter to Tackle Critical Health Worker Shortages In a landmark initiative poised to transform healthcare across Africa, the continent is set to unveil its first-ever health investment charter at the African Health Workforce Investment Forum in Windhoek, Namibia, from May 6-8, 2024. This pioneering charter aims to mobilize resources and strengthen efforts to address the severe shortage of health workers, a pressing issue that threatens health systems and public well-being. Africa faces a critical shortfall of 5.3 million health workers, prompting the ambitious goal of halving this deficit by 2030 through concerted investment and strategic partnerships. The African Health Workforce Investment Charter will rally both domestic and international funding to bolster the recruitment, training, and retention of health professionals, particularly in rural and primary healthcare settings. Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, underscores the urgency of this initiative, emphasizing the detrimental impact of underinvestment and workforce migration on healthcare delivery across the continent. Efforts will focus on optimizing health workforce management to combat inefficiencies and ensure resour... #Africa #Health #HealthWorker

#WHOAfrica launches the African health workforce investment Charter. Forecasts are that the WHO African Region will face an estimated shortfall of 5.3 million health workers by 2030, exacerbated by challenges including underinvestment in training and employment opportunities for health workers, inadequate incentives, and burgeoning migration. To achieve the goal of cutting by half health worker shortages in African countries by 2030, the charter seeks to facilitate strategic investment in #healthworkforce #education and #employment creation to support existing regional commitments and country plans. The implementation of these has been constrained by inadequate financing, siloed and ad hoc interventions, and inefficient investment approaches

To keep health care services on the right track, Human Resources for Health (HRH) remain to be a significant component toward achieving the goal of providing quality health care services to the community under the umbrella of easy accessibility and affordability. But the problem comes when inconveniences and misunderstandings arises among health care workers, regarding to taking responsibility and their relations in offices, the factor that negatively affect the mission of the ministry of health (MoH) on the provision of health care services. This critical issue clearly uncover the pressing need to navigate toward the great action of strengthening and enhancing active adherence to labour laws, ethics and code of conduct in both public and private health sector, promoting understanding on health care policies and other guiding principles to healthcare workers in order to  reduce the prevalence of conflicts and irresponsibility among health care workers, and ultimately ensuring accountability and effiency in taking charge of providing quality health care services to the society. Amref Health Africa Tanzania, Tanzania Better Health, World Health Organization, Ntuli Kapologwe, Mariam Haji, Kelvin Mwita. #Health #HRH #Equality #Ethicsandcompliance

🚀 Health in the Union Budget 2024: The Interim Strikes Back 🎥 In a budget sequel that brings a new hope, the Union Budget 2024 builds upon the interim budget. Curious to see if the health budget is just a rehash of the interim? As the first Budget of the Modi 3.0 cabinet, expectations were high for groundbreaking announcements, especially after the dip in health sector fund utilization in 2022. Despite the buzz around making healthcare free for citizens aged 70 and above, this year’s health budget has seen minimal new announcements. However, interesting reallocations have moved funds from low-utilization schemes to high-utilization ones, with the National Health Mission (NHM) emerging as a significant beneficiary. Key Insights: 🔄 Strategic Reallocations: Funds have shifted from low-utilization schemes to those with high impact, with NHM as the biggest gainer. 📉 Utilization Trends: Post-pandemic utilization rates highlight the need for responsive budget planning to address public health needs effectively. 📊 Sectoral Allocations: Despite the increased budget, health sector funding as a percentage of the total budget remains around 2%, falling short of the 2.5% GDP target set by the government. Budget Highlights: 🌐 Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI): Emphasis on leveraging technology to improve health access. 🏥 Medical Advancements: New medical colleges in Bihar, duty exemptions on essential cancer drugs, and reductions for X-ray machine components to boost domestic manufacturing. 🚫 PVC Flex Banners: The duty on PVC flex banners increased from 10% to 25% to curb their hazardous environmental footprint. 🌍 Climate and Health Nexus: Climate finance initiatives highlight the crucial role of environmental sustainability in public health. In Short: 📈 Historical Perspective: Over the past decade, the health sector has seen substantial budget increases, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.19% from FY13-14 to FY24-25. 📉 Utilization Rates: Utilization peaked at 120% during the COVID era but has since dipped to 88% in FY22-23, showing areas for improvement. 🚰 Social Determinants of Health (SDOH): Increased funding for related ministries, such as Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, and Drinking Water & Sanitation Questions for You: 🤔 What do you think could be the reason for lower utilization in the Ministry of Social Justice, which is responsible for senior care, drug rehabilitation, and disability programs? 💡 How can we ensure that increased allocations translate into improved health outcomes? For an in-depth analysis, follow this link to read the full article: https://lnkd.in/grY68BxR ♻️ Repost this for your network if you found it insightful. Thank you! #UnionBudget2024 #Healthcare #PublicHealth #HealthBudget #HealthForAll #MoHFW #AYUSH #DigitalHealth

“Political Influence on Health Equity: Navigating the Social Determinants in Developing Countries” 🌍💡 1. Governance and Political Stability: The quality of governance in a country significantly affects its health outcomes. Stable governance structures are better able to implement effective health policies 📜, manage resources efficiently 💼, and respond to health crises 🚑. Conversely, political instability can lead to inadequate health infrastructure, poor service delivery, and a focus on short-term political gains over long-term health investments, exacerbating health inequities. 2. Policy Formulation and Implementation: Political decisions about which health policies to implement can directly influence the social determinants of health, such as education 📚, housing 🏡, and employment 💼. For instance, policies that ensure universal access to healthcare 🌐, improve water and sanitation 💧, and provide social protection can positively affect health outcomes and equity. However, when policies neglect these areas, it can lead to increased disparities. 3. Resource Allocation: The allocation of resources to the health sector is a political decision that can either advance or hinder health equity. Developing countries with limited resources face tough choices about how to distribute these resources 💵, and political leaders’ priorities can significantly impact the focus areas. Investment in primary healthcare 🏥, for example, is widely recognized as a cost-effective way to improve health equity, but it requires political will to prioritize such investment over more visible, yet possibly less effective, healthcare spending. 4. International Politics and Aid: The politics of international relations and aid also shape health outcomes in developing countries. Political factors determine the amount of aid a country receives 🌍➡️🤲, the conditions attached to it, and how it is spent. While international aid can provide essential support for health systems, politically motivated aid might not always align with the recipient country’s most pressing health needs, potentially diverting attention from crucial health equity issues. 5. Civil Society and Political Engagement: The extent to which civil society can engage with and influence political processes affects health equity. In countries where there is space for advocacy 🗣️ and the promotion of rights-based approaches to health, civil society organisations can play a significant role in holding governments accountable for health outcomes and pushing for policies that address the social determinants of health. #HealthEquity #GlobalHealth #SocialDeterminants #PublicHealth #InclusivePolicies #SustainableDevelopment #HealthForAll #PoliticalWill #CommunityEngagement #GlobalSolidarity #HealthJustice #EquitableAccess #HealthcareInnovation #UniversalHealthCoverage #HealthAdvocacy #SocialJusticeInHealth #GlobalHealthEquity #PolicyChangeForHealth #CivilSocietyAction #InvestInHealth

📢 Finance ministers, policymakers, donors: Invest in #safesupportedhealthworkers. A resilient health system has #safesupportedhealthworkers who have the skills and resources necessary for providing lifesaving health services, as well as policies and practices that ensure they are valued, safe, and fairly treated. Read more to learn about the six principles - equitable training opportunities, shifting workplace gender norms, clear career paths, leadership equity, financial equity, and harm prevention – that guide PATH’s approach to supporting gender-equitable #PrimaryHealthCare systems and #HRH that advance #UniversalHealthCoverage.     https://lnkd.in/gayCb-C8