Workforce Effectiveness

Move the Merchandise: An Around-the-Clock Operation to Save a Kenyan Medical Warehouse

jennifer — Wed, 04 May 2011 13:36:44 +0000

This post was originally published on the IntraHealth International blog.

Picture the following scenario: A large warehouse, 13,000 square meters, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya, about 20 kilometers from the city center, is so full of drugs and other medical supplies that there is no space for new deliveries. The warehouse is packed with everything from gauze bandages to malaria pills to antiretroviral drugs—valuable and necessary medical supplies that people need. But the system used to manage and distribute these supplies with less paperwork and greater efficiency, known as the Enterprise Resource Planning system, is not working. This means nothing is moving in or out of the warehouse.

Author's name:

Wambua Nzioki

Publication Date:

May 2011

Beyond Vacancies: Improving Performance and Productivity to Strengthen Health Systems

jennifer — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:36:52 +0000

Typically, a health workforce strengthening approach looks at the number of available health workers in comparison to the required number and then advises decision-makers on the need for health workforce development. Existing health workers are considered a given whereby adjustments are made in the form of additions to the system. This approach assumes that optimal health care delivery will be achieved when all the vacancies are filled.

However, these measures may not guarantee that staff turnover, performance, and/or productivity are adequately addressed.

Author's name:

Mesrak Belatchew

Publication Date:

February 2011

Transforming a Thai Hospital through Pay for Performance

jennifer — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 14:50:45 +0000

Aboard a tour bus covered in enormous fuchsia flowers, we traveled through the Bangkok morning rush hour. This we knew: we were in for an eye-opening field trip as part of the Second Global Forum on Human Resources for Health.

Our destination that day was Chachoengsao Province—130 km (or 81 miles) from Bangkok— where we had the opportunity to see firsthand the transformation of the Phanom Sarakham Community Hospital and how it’s working toward establishing a pay for performance scheme.

Charismatic leadership
The hospital was previously considered one of the most run-down in Thailand, beset by persistently poor service quality and low staff morale.

Author's name:

Wilma Gormley and Paul Marsden

Publication Date:

February 2011

Addressing Human Resources Constraints in Public Health Supply Chains

Sarah Dwyer — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 19:49:30 +0000

At the recent Critical Issues Series: Strengthening Human Resources for Supply Chain Management of Health Commodities event, IntraHealth International staff Uche Ekenna presented CapacityPlus’s new Life Cycle Approach to professionalizing under-recognized cadres.

Ekenna delivered key messages on workforce development, workforce effectiveness, and policy and planning to specific supply chain functions. His panel focused on the professionalization of under-recognized cadres—i.e., supply chain management professionals—and how the Life Cycle Approach can systematically address all crucial steps in the cadre professionalization process.

Hosted by the USAID DELIVER Project, this event featured presentations by human resources for health (HRH) and health commodities panelists, and offered experts a forum to discuss and identify future areas for building strong collaborations, sharing lessons learned, and identifying strategies to address human resources constraints affecting the distribution of health commodities to clients.

Author's name:

Amanda Puckett

Publication Date:

October 2010