2030 Roadmap: Govt says will hire more than million health professionals

Plans to double number of lady health workers, improve quality of healthcare education

ISLAMABAD: The health ministry unveiled evidence based projections for human resource for health for next 15 years that envisages more than one million new jobs opportunities to be created by 2030 along with decent working environment for health workforce both in public and private sector across the country.

The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, in consultation with the provincial departments of health and other stakeholders have developed a Human Resource for Health Vision 2018-30 that was launched Wednesday.

More health professionals

Pakistan has one of the lowest densities of health workers in the region and globally, with an essential and skilled health professional (physicians including specialists, nurses, lady health visitors and midwives) density of 1.4 per 1,000 population, which is much below the indicative minimum threshold of 4.45 physicians, nurses and midwives per 1,000 population necessary to achieve universal health coverage.



The new human resource plan focuses on production of nurses/ midwife in order to achieve national health targets recommending that the number of lady health workers should required to be doubled in years to come.

Currently, around 9,000 nurses and midwives are coming out of nursing schools each year, but to increase their numbers, more nursing schools and colleges needs to be put set up.

Lady Health Workers (LHWs) numbers should also be doubled from the current less than 93,000 to more than 180,000 within next five years to ensure provision of essential primary health care services at the doorstep of community, the vision says.

More than one million new jobs opportunities needs to be created by 2030 along with decent working environment for the health workforce both in public and private sector, it says asserting quality control in health professionals training is key factor for better health care services.

Provincial Strategies in line with provincial priorities and national Human Resource for Health Vision (HRHV) should complete in 2018, the plan says.

It also emphasizes quality of medical and nursing education should be modernized, ensuring a system approach in the governance of these institutions.



Way forward

Federal Minister National Health Services Saira Afzal Tarar launching the future plan said it is clear from the HRH Vision that an increase in health workforce if planned well, will provide an unprecedented decent employment opportunity for the people of the country. This is also intrinsically linked with broader economic development and enhancing opportunities for gender equality, she said.

In order to meet the need of greater numbers of health workforce within the country, there is a need to pay due attention for enhancement of the production capacity, she said.

The HRHV provides the guidelines for ensuring the provision of essential health services at the door step of communities.

The current government coordinated a consensus National Health Vision 2025, based on principle of taking everyone along, with eight thematic pillars, she said. The NHV resolves the aspirations of all provincial and area governments and reflects targets of Pakistan Vision 2025 and SGDs agenda. Improving the availability of skilled health workforce within the country is one such target of NHV and SDG3.

She said the political leadership of the country has to ensure that the HRHV progresses from a well thought out plan to actual implementation resulting in the envisioned benefits for the health of the people of Pakistan.

Future

Minister said that the future of Pakistan lies in the future of its people. For a bright future, the people need to be able to perform at their best which can only be possible if they are living healthy and productive lives.

Over the course of the last five years the governmen has made considerable efforts towards enhancing the health services being made available to the people. The implementation of the PM National Health Programme is one such example.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2018.