Webinar: Health Workforce Development through the Lens of Sustainable, Locally Led Development

On October 9, 2024, the virtual stage was set for a pivotal event alongside the USAID Local Capacity Strengthening (LCS) Policy Forum, where experts from Management Sciences for Health (MSH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) gathered for a webinar to discuss a pressing topic: health workforce development through the lens of sustainable, locally led development. With the WHO projecting a shortfall of 10 million health workers in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by 2030, the call for innovative solutions has never been more urgent! 

Hosted by MSH, the webinar aimed to bridge the gap between policy and practice in health workforce development. Dr. Andrew Brown, Senior Principal Technical Advisor–Health Workforce Development (Cluster Lead), opened the webinar and presented a brief background on Local Capacity Strengthening at MSH. He laid the groundwork by emphasizing the need for a holistic, locally led approach. “To achieve Universal Health Coverage, countries need adequate numbers of competent health workers who are motivated, supported, and protected by their organizations,” he declared. This perspective highlights that workforce development is not just about training; sustainable workforce development requires a comprehensive strategy that includes data-driven planning and management and is led by country governments and local supporting organizations! 

The webinar drew over 80 attendees from 21 countries and prompted them to reflect on their approaches to health workforce development. A thought-provoking question was posed: “What is one word that describes how you approach health workforce development?” The most common responses to that question were “collaborative,” “human-centered,” and “capacitated.” 

Speakers from MSH were then invited to engage in a panel conversation moderated by Dr. Brown showcasing how MSH is supporting the development of the health workforce through local organizations in Kenya (USAID Medicines Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) Program), Rwanda (USAID-Ireme), and Uganda (Uganda Strengthening Supply Chain Systems (SSCS) Activity). Each panelist brought to the discussion unique insights into how local organizations are driving health workforce changes and the contextualized approaches MSH is taking to meet locally determined needs. 

Webinar attendees heard from Ndinda Kusu, MSH’s Country Project Director for USAID-MTaPS in Kenya, who shared her thoughts about the integration of e-learning on infection prevention and control and antimicrobial resistance into formal continuing professional development (CPD) by working with professional institutions to give learners CPD credits for related courses. Kusu pointed out that this innovative approach not only boosts health workers but also addresses critical public health challenges head-on! She highlighted that “early engagement in joint planning in the development of the packages together and rolling [them] out is crucial to sustain the capacity interventions.” 

Joseph Shema, MSH’s Principal Technical Advisor for USAID Ireme in Rwanda, then spoke about health workforce scholarship schemes, which he explained are part of a broader strategy to enhance workforce capacity and fill labor gaps. He reflected that empowering midwives and other health providers to work with the Ministry of Health and support each other is key to building a brighter future for health care. 

Finally, Martin Oteba, MSH’s Deputy Project Director for the Uganda Strengthening Supply Chain Systems Activity, discussed the supervision, performance assessment, and recognition strategy (SPARS) for improving the performance of public supply chain management (PSCM) cadres. He underscored that this tool, which has been digitalized for better efficiency, fosters accountability and encourages continuous performance improvement among health workers. He stressed that “fostering ownership” and “engagement of stakeholders,” as well as “providing digital tools,” are essential for promoting sustainability. 

Following the panel discussion, attendees had the chance to ask questions and reflect on their own contexts. The questions they posed to panelists included the following: 

• What workforce development issue did you focus on and why? 

• How did you apply an LCS approach, and what actions were agreed upon? 

• What lessons were learned to ensure that interventions are sustainable beyond the project cycle? 

Following the engaging discussion, Catherine Kane, Technical Officer–Health Workforce Policy, Norms, and Standards at the WHO in Geneva, shared valuable resources aimed at accelerating LCS. She emphasized that tools need to be designed to address the unique health workforce improvement needs in local country contexts, ensuring that interventions are both relevant and effective. The top three tools she highlighted were the Global Strategy on Human Resources, the Health Labour Market Analysis Guidebook, and the National Health Workforce Accounts and Workload Indicators of Staffing Need User Manual. Ms. Kane also shared additional tools and information that can be found here. 

Dr. Brown wrapped up the session with a potent reminder that by empowering local organizations and utilizing data-driven strategies, we can foster a resilient health workforce capable of meeting current and future challenges. As we move from policy to practice, the commitment to sustainable, locally led development will be crucial in addressing the global health workforce crisis. He concluded the webinar by reminding attendees that “sustaining health workforce development is much more than training” and “having local organizations prioritize and lead interventions is critical for success.” 

The discussions at this webinar underscored the importance of taking a locally led approach to health workforce development. MSH invites you to explore these WHO workforce tools for application in your context and join us in future conversations as we continue to uncover innovative solutions for health workforce development!  If you would like to discuss this topic further, please reach out to Dr. Brown at anbrown@msh.org.