Monday, March 24, 2008

Global forum on human resources for health in Kampala

"The Global Health Workforce Alliance is to convene the first ever Global Forum on Human Resources for Health in Kampala, Uganda from March 2-7, 2008. The Forum will be attended by up to 1000 participants, including government leaders, eminent health, development, civil society, academic and health professional leaders from around the world. This Forum will provide an extraordinary platform for sharing and exploring solutions, consensus and capacity building, and will further galvanize a global movement that is emerging as a response to the increasingly pertinent human resources for health (HRH) crisis. The Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA) is a partnership dedicated to identifying and implementing solutions to the health workforce crisis and is hosted and administered by WHO."(Taken from http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/forum/en/ )

HRH Journal at the First-ever Global Forum on Human Resources for Health (2-7 March 2008)

The first ever Global Forum on Human Resources for Health will be convened by the Global Health workforce Alliance in Kampala, Uganda (GHWA - www.ghwa.org), from March 2-7, 2008.

The Forum will be attended by up to 1000 participants, including government leaders, eminent health, development, civil society, academic and health professional leaders from around the world and will provide an extraordinary platform for sharing and exploring solutions, consensus and capacity building, further galvanizing a global movement that is emerging as a response to the increasingly pertinent human resources for health (HRH) crisis.

The HRH Journal editorial team will be attending the forum and will be posting daily reports from the forum on this blog, including interviews with some of the presenters and particpants of the forum.
As always, we weclome your thought and reactions in the form of comments posted here on our blog or e-mails sent to hrhjournal@who.int

Rockefeller and HRH - Interview with Dr Ariel Pablos-Méndez at the Kampala Forum

On day four of the First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, we spoke to Dr Ariel Pablos-Méndes of the Rockefeller foundation (www.rockfound.org). You are actually attending two meetings in Kampala this week. What is the other meeting you are attending and how does it tie into the GHWA Global Forum?
"The Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation held its periodic meeting in Kampala to review strategic directions in our work. The meeting was not tied to the GHWA Forum but it was a fortunate coincidence."
What relationship does Rockefeller Foundation have with GHWA?
"The Rockefeller Foundation supported the Joint Learning Initiative on Human Resources for Health that culminated in its pivotal report in 2004. This exercise helped set the stage for the creation of GHWA."
As consensus turns to implementation and action following this First Global Forum, will Rockefeller become more involved in working with GHWA?
"The Foundation is very much interested in the global challenge of health systems. We are exploring new capacity building efforts, eHealth and the role of the private sector in health. In this context, we are supporting a new task force on private sector under the GHWA umbrella."
What do you see as the important next steps for GHWA?
"Implementation to scale with sustainable financing is the key challenge. The answers must fit country conditions and require great creativity globally."
Do you feel there are any voices not being represented or which are under-represented in the GHWA forum?
"Private universities and private employers are usually absent, even though the private sector accounts for 6o to 80% of the financing or provision of health services in developing countries."
How will Rockefeller Foundation play its part in the attempt to resolve the Health Workforce Crisis?
"As noted above, we are exploring ways to foster new competencies and capabilities for health systems (of which HRH are one key component); we also believe eHealth holds much promise to improve access, affordability and quality of health services particularly in areas with few HRH."
One of the most prominent and difficult issues being discussed at the Forum is that of health workforce migration. What do you think is the best route for addressing this complex issue? Is this an area where WHO can take the lead?
"The economic gradients for migration will be hard to address. Creating local cadres of allied health professionals and creative incentives might help. Clearly importing countries must support developing countries address this challenge."

Global Community of Practice on Health Worker Migration

The Health Worker Migration Policy Initiative invites all individuals, professionals, policy and programme managers and interest groups from around the world to participate in a virtual Global Community of Practice on Health Worker Migration, chaired by Mary Robinson, President of Realizing Rights
How best address the challenges raised by health worker migration? What are the responsibilities of individuals, countries and as global community to support the Code of Practice?

Medscape features JMCR case reports

Medscape, the online medical information and education resource, begins this week to highlight articles published in Journal of Medical Case Reports.
The first article to be featured is 'Rectus sheath hematoma: three case reports' in which Selin Kapan et al. describe how this rare disease was identified and treated in three patients.
JMCR is featured in Medscape's Family Medicine journals collection, and the Medscape team will be regularly featuring new case reports on the website, meaning the journal's most clinically relevant and educational case reports will be brought to an even wider audience.

Human Resources for Health launches a blog

Human Resources for Health this week launched its own journal blog.
Items already posted include details of a forthcoming special issue, the first Global Forum on Human Resources for Health (due to be held early in 2008), and a request for feedback on some future developments for the journal. In launching the blog, the Editors of Human Resources for Health hope to be able to provide a forum for further comment and discussion of items relevant to the journal and its field.
Human Resources for Health is overseen by the Editor-in-Chief, Mario Dal Poz (World Health Organization), and was launched with BioMed Central in 2003. The journal covers all aspects of planning, producing and managing the health workforce - all those who provide health services worldwide