Human Resources for Health in Africa opens in Accra

Accra, Oct. 27, GNA - The maiden consultation meeting on human resources for health in Africa has opened in Accra with the call on participants to co-ordinate their efforts to improve on the deplorable health workforce situation, which has become a threat to global health. "Without healthy people, there will be no health progress, whilst increased investment in health will also not yield the desired results without rapid increase in quantity and quality of health workers." Dr Anarfi Asamoah-Baah, Deputy Director-General of World Health Organisation (WHO) made the call when addressing the opening session of a four-day consultation meeting in Accra.

The meeting, organised by Global Health Workforce Alliance and being attended by representatives from 15 African countries, would share ideas, experience and find solutions to the problems of human resource in the health sector.

Countries participating include Ghana, Nigeria, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, Lesotho, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

The meeting was a follow-up of the Kampala Declaration, which was agreed on in March 2008 by participants who attended the first global forum on human resources for health in Kampala.

Dr Asamoah-Baah noted that Africa and Asia were the continents that lacked the requisite human resource in health, leading to the creation of a critical gap in health workers per capita ratio and imbalances between the developed and developing countries. The Deputy Director-General of WHO, noted that the debate on the issue should be treated with compassion and shifted from the global level to a local dialogue for the affected countries to learn lessons from mistakes made in previous years.

Dr Asamoah-Baah advised countries in Africa and Asia to avoid complacency and address the root causes of the problem. He urged the participating countries to collaborate with stakeholders such as the financial institutions, to offer assistance to health workers to acquire housing, and means of transport. The global estimated number of health workers is about 59.8 million, while WHO estimates about 2,360,000 health service providers and 1,890,000 management support workers in Africa and Asia. More than four million health workers are therefore needed to fill the gap.

Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, Director of Human Resource Department of the Ministry of Health, said human resource was the key and centre of investment in health care development but had become a challenge in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). He expressed concern about the lack of co-ordination and resources, which had contributed tremendously in crippling all efforts to address the human resource crisis.

Dr Appiah-Denkyira called for continuous training of health workers with the appropriate skills coupled with concerted action to address the problems facing Africa and Asia.

Dr Daniel Kertesez, Ghana's WHO Country Representative noted that the goals of health-related MDGs could not be achieved and sustained without the effective stewardship and adequate human resources for health. He called for improved human resources for health at the country level with commitment to implementing them. "We must do this for stronger health systems and for the social and economic development of future generations".