Human Resources For Health (HRH)

Strategic Focus Area 1: Develop and sustain human resources for health (HRH) to catalyse the attainment of universal health coverage in Amref Health Africa target countries.

Amref Health Africa has been involved in training of midlevel and community health workers through in-service, pre-service and continuing professional development since our founding in 1957. Between 2011-2015 alone we trained over 700,000 health workers in Africa through using traditional and technology-based training methods (eLearning and mLearning). Our corporate strategy (2018-2022) will draw on the evidence and lessons learnt from our 60 years of health worker training, as well as from various global and regional HRH strategies and gaps identified through research and situational analyses.

Strategic Objectives and Priority Interventions

Strategic Objective 1: Increase the number and skills mix of mid-level and community level health workers

Priority Intervention: Increase in numbers and skills mix

• Scale up the use of eLearning and mLearning approaches for in-service, pre-service and CPD training
• Establish the Amref International University (AMIU) to expand human resources for health training in Africa
• Train and retain Community Health Workers
• Develop new models for health workers education and training

Priority Intervention: Advocacy for human resources for health policy

• Advocate for the formalisation of the Community Health Worker cadre, training and scheme of service
• Establish accreditation system for distance learning approaches
• Advocate and integrate LMG in basic and post-basic training programmes

Strategic Objective 2: Strengthen leadership, management and governance capacities within health systems

Priority Intervention: Enhanced Leadership, Management and Governance (LMG) capacity for HRH

• Train health workers in leadership, management and governance
• Build capacity of community-based organisations, non-governmental organisation and government agencies in leadership, management and governance
• Build capacity of health training institutions to deliver leadership, management and governance

Strategic Objective 3: Improve human resources for health (HRH) productivity

Priority Intervention: Optimising performance of human resources for health

• Scale up courses on support supervision, mentorship and coaching
• Develop and support implementation of Continuous Quality Improvement programmes for health

Priority Intervention: Research and advocacy for productivity and retention

• Advocate for institutionalisation of management as a core skill in the health sector
• Advocate for better working and living conditions for health workers
• Research and disseminate data on community satisfaction, health worker productivity and retention
• Research and develop human resources for health models for productivity and retention