Washington DC, March 22, 2024 (PAHO/WHO)- The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), carried out an official country mission to Venezuela, from 4-7 March, with the purpose of identifying strategic areas of technical cooperation in human resources for health (HRH), including policy development HRH, and strengthening the processes of training, distribution, attraction and retention of HRH in priority health programs, with emphasis on primary health care.
PAHO and the national authorities jointly identified a cooperation agenda on priority issues on HRH, including governance, stewardship, and capacity building of HRH. “There are many aspects in which PAHO can support the country, such as updating its policy on human resources for health, strengthening its HRH information system for planning and forecasting, developing competencies along with interprofessional education, courses development and learning pathways, and using the potential of our Organization's Virtual Campus for Public Health,” said Benjamín Puertas, Unit Chief of Human Resources for Health at PAHO.
As a result, priorities for cooperation in HRH were identified for the country, such as the updating of the HRH National Plan, the strengthening of the national HRH observatory as part of its information systems, the analysis of the health workforce, the organization and composition of interprofessional teams, and issues related to the migration and mobility of its health professionals.
Benjamín Puertas, with PAHO Country Office in Venezuela, held working meetings with representatives of the Direction of Human Talent of the Ministry of Popular Power for Health (MPPS ) and the Direction of Integration and International Affairs (OIAI). Also, Puertas visited training centers, such as the “Arnoldo Gabaldón” Institute of Higher Studies, the “Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías” University of Health Sciences, and the “Salvador Allende” Latin American School of Medicine, as well as primary health care services where he was able to engage in conversations with its directors and students.
The technical cooperation mission in Venezuela is part of PAHO's overall efforts to strengthen human resources for health in the Region of the Americas.
