GAVI : The Global Fund and World Bank Support for Human Resources for Health in Developing Countries
Shortages, geographic imbalances, and poor performance of health workers pose major challenges for improving health service delivery in developing countries. In response, development agencies have increasingly recognized the need to invest in Human...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2013
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2011/05/14461665/analysis-gavi-global-fund-world-bank-support-human-resources-health-developing-countries http://hdl.handle.net/10986/13592 |
| Summary: | Shortages, geographic imbalances, and
poor performance of health workers pose major challenges for
improving health service delivery in developing countries.
In response, development agencies have increasingly
recognized the need to invest in Human Resources for Health
(HRH) to assist countries in achieving their health system
goals. In this paper we analyze the HRH-related activities
of three multilateral agencies the Global Alliance for
Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI); the global fund for AIDS,
Tuberculosis, and Malaria (the global fund); and the World
Bank. First, we reviewed the type of HRH-related activities
that are eligible for financing within each agency. Second,
we reviewed the HRH-related activities that each agency is
actually financing. Third, we reviewed the literature to
understand the impact that GAVI, the global fund, and the
World Bank investments in HRH have had on HRH in developing
countries. Our analysis found that by far the most common
activity supported across all agencies is short-term,
in-service training. There is relatively little investment
in expanding pre-service training capacity, despite large
health worker shortages in developing countries. We also
found that the majority of GAVI and the global fund grants
finance health worker remuneration, largely through
supplemental allowances, with little information available
on how payment rates are determined, how the potential
negative consequences are mitigated, and how payments are to
be sustained at the end of the grant period. Based on the
analysis we argue that there is an opportunity for improved
coordination between the three agencies at the country level
in supporting HRH-related activities. Existing initiatives,
such as the international health partnership and the health
systems funding platform, may present viable and timely
vehicles for the three agencies to implement this improved coordination. |
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