National Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan (2011 – 2015)

Abstract

The performance of a health system is influenced significantly by the size, distribution, and skill set of its health workforce. Although the 2007 Zambian Demographic Health Survey showed that Zambia has achieved progress in reducing maternal and child mortality, further progress is necessary if the country is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. This is, to a large measure, dependent upon the alleviation of the human resource shortage within the health sector. Planned interventions within the health sector have not been successfully implemented due to staff shortages, which have been driven by multiple factors, including poor conditions of service, unsatisfactory working conditions, inequitable distribution of staff between urban and rural areas, weak human resources management systems, and inadequate training systems, among others. To address these issues, the Zambian health sector has recognized that health workforce planning is a critical component of a comprehensive health strategy. In this vein, the sector developed its first National HRH Strategic Pl an for the period 2006-20 10 with the overall objective of ensuring an adequate and equitable distribution of appropriately skilled and motivated health workers to provide quality health services. The second National Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan (NHRH SP), 2011-2015, will build on the key lessons from the first Human Resources for Health Strategic Plan and attempt to address all constraining factors, while providing a comprehensive, coherent, and feasible Health Workforce Plan.