Abstract
A dire health worker shortage in Zambia's national health programs is adversely impacting the quantity and quality of health care and posing a serious barrier to achieving Millennium Development Goals to improve population health. In 2005, Zambia's Ministry of Health developed a 10-year strategic plan for human resources for health to address the crisis through improved training, hiring, and retention. The plan has neither arrested nor reduced the shortage. We review the causes of the shortage, present results from a health worker survey showing that safe work conditions, manageable workloads, and career advancement opportunities matter more to respondents than financial compensation. We comment on the adequacy of government efforts to address the health worker shortage.
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Despite a 2005 ten-year strategic plan to address the crisis, a dire health worker shortage in Zambia's national health programs compromises population health. The authors review the causes of the shortage, report survey results about what could make a difference, and comment on the adequacy of government efforts.
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Gow, J., George, G., Mutinta, G. et al. Health worker shortages in Zambia: An assessment of government responses. J Public Health Pol 32, 476–488 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2011.41
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2011.41