Talking about Health Worker Policy Advocacy
With degrees in French and library science, I knew nothing about policy advocacy work for human resources for health (HRH) when I started an internship for IntraHealth International in January. My project entails working with IntraHealth’s Policy Division and expanding the policy advocacy section of CapacityPlus’s HRH Global Resource Center (GRC), and a large component of my work involves interviewing leaders in policy advocacy for a new GRC interview series.
With seven interviews conducted so far, I feel as if I have taken an accelerated course on the topic of policy advocacy, the basic purpose of which is to raise awareness and visibility of an issue in order to accomplish change. For HRH, policy advocacy work strives to achieve the implementation of favorable policies for programs that support health workers on the frontlines. Such policies range from funding to a new law with an intended health impact. The information conveyed in these interviews may seem obvious to those with a background in public health, but the ideas, arguments, and reasoning behind implementing policies to support health workers revealed a brand new perspective to me.
Several of the leaders highlighted the pivotal role health workers play in a country’s health system. One expert noted that health workers serve as the first line of defense in terms of protecting the health of the population, so equipping them with the tools and resources to do their jobs as effectively as possible stands out as a necessity. Some organizations advocate to build infrastructure while others seek to scale up health worker education in specific areas of global health, such as maternal and reproductive health or HIV/AIDS.
No matter the issue, HRH policy advocacy work aims to convince policy-makers to meet the needs of health workers. Educating key decision-makers about health problems and proposing specific solutions is paramount for accomplishing these goals. Numerous interview participants claimed that policy advocacy work is tantamount to spreading awareness of a problem and taking action to remedy it. By informing policy-makers about the realities of health care for certain populations and providing them with data about successful reforms, effective policy advocacy work presents a situation that can be ameliorated with the proper resources.
The forums for enacting policy advocacy work in any country include humanitarian agencies, donor organizations, and government offices. Whether in Washington on Capitol Hill, in Geneva at a WHO meeting, or in the minister of health’s office in a developing country, those who do policy advocacy work must have information about the current state of developing health systems relevant to the desired policy change. As one participant said, this requires staying on top of a large amount of information. As a librarian, I definitely understand that aspect of policy advocacy work!
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Photo by Carol Bales. (Frances McVay)
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