Washington, DC, October 26, 2021 (PAHO) - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched a new virtual self learning course on Management of Working and Employment Conditions for Human Resources for Health, available in Spanish and English, in the Virtual Campus for Public Health.
The course is open access and self-administered. It is aimed at persons who work in the health sector, particularly at the first level of care, as well as decision-makers who are in charge of developing policies, planning programs, and implementing them in health systems and services. Health. This initiative offers basic knowledge and concepts on the management of working conditions and employment in health, in the new health context.
The health situation generated by the COVI-19 pandemic has reinforced the evidence that the best strategy to ensure access and health coverage for the population, in addition to reducing the impact of the pandemic on highly complex health institutions, is to strengthen the response capacity of the first level of care and the health service networks.
“Shortages of health and care workers have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; 66% of countries have reported shortage of health workforce as the primary cause of disruption to essential health services,” said James Fitzgerald, PAHO´s Director, Department of Health Systems and Services, during the launch of the course.
“The world cannot recover from the pandemic without long-term, sustainable investments in the people who provide care to us; these investments are not only necessary, they are also common sense: they bring dividends accruing to national gender, health, labor, and socioeconomic goals,” he added.
To facilitate a well-functioning health service network and resolutive capacity of the first level of care, availability, and training of human resources for health must be ensured.
"Health workers must feel comfortable and safe at work to be able to fulfill their functions and, therefore, they need to strengthen their capacities and knowledge in a timely manner, with reliable and up-to-date information that allows them to guarantee their health and safety," said Malhi Cho, PAHO Advisor on Human Resources for Health.
The estimated workload to take the course is 10 hours. In the end, participants will be able to identify and prioritize problems related to work management in the health sector and recognize alternatives to solve problems related to employment and work conditions that can affect the health of workers and the quality of care in health services and in the community.
