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HUMAN RESOURCE CAPACITY TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT MALARIA ELIMINATION: A POLICY BRIEF FOR ETHIOPIA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 March 2013

Adugna Woyessa ,
Mamuye Hadis  and
Amha Kebede
Adugna Woyessa
Affiliation:
Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI)
Mamuye Hadis
Affiliation:
Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI)
Amha Kebede
Affiliation:
Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI)
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Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate malaria elimination in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has planned to eliminate malaria by 2015 in areas of unstable malaria transmission and in the entire country by 2020. However, there is a shortage and maldistribution of the health workforce in general and malaria experts in particular. Training, motivating, and retaining the health workforce involved in malaria control is one strategy to address the shortage and maldistribution of the health workforce to achieve the goal of elimination.

Methods: Policy options include the following: (i) in-service training (educational outreach visits, continuing education meetings and workshops, audit and feedback, tailored interventions, and guideline dissemination) may improve professional practice; (ii) recruiting and training malaria specialists together with academic support, career guidance, and social support may increase the number of malaria experts; and (iii) motivation and retention packages (such as financial, educational, personal, and professional support incentives) may help motivate and retain malaria professionals.

Results: Implementation strategies include the following: (i) massive training of health personnel involved in malaria elimination and malaria experts (requiring special training) at different levels (national, sub-national, District & community levels), and (ii) recruiting highly qualified health personnel and retention and motivation mechanisms are needed.

Conclusions: The lack of adequately trained human resources and personnel attrition are major challenges to effectively implement the planned multi-faceted malaria elimination by 2020 strategy in Ethiopia. Although a reduction in malaria incidence has been observed in the last 3-4 years, maintaining this success and achieving the malaria elimination goal with the present human resource profile will be impossible. A clear strategy for developing the capacity of the health workers in general, and malaria experts in particular, and retaining and motivating staff are crucial for malaria control and elimination.

Keywords

Human resource capacityIn-service trainingRetention and motivation mechanismsIncentivesMalaria eliminationEthiopia
Type
POLICIES
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , April 2013 , pp. 212 - 217
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

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