Global conference on HR for health concludes
By Bushra Makhdoom

ISLAMABAD—A six-day global conference on “Human Resource for Health” concluded at Kampala, Uganda under the aegis of Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA).
A main feature of the conference was appointment of a Pakistani as new Executive Director of Global Health Workforce Alliance as Dr Mubashar replaced Dr Francis Omaswa of Uganda. Around 1500 delegates from 57 countries including Health Ministers from dozen countries and heads of international organizations and civil society federations attended the moot.
The Pakistani delegation was led by Minister for Health Ejaz Rahim and comprising Imtiaz Inayat Elahi, Additional Secretary, Health Division and Ms. Stella Nazir, Nursing Adviser. On his arrival here after attending the event the minister said the global conference focused on the crisis in the developing countries regarding availability of skilled health workers for community health and human welfare in the face of growing tide of communicable, non-communicable, and emergency diseases like SARS, Ebola, CCHF and Avian Flu.
The Conference noted that worldwide there are 59.8 million health workers of which two-third (39.5 million) provide direct health services whereas one-third (19.8 million) are management and support workers, he added. The minister said without having a global framework and national plans of HRD including health workforce, the crisis will worsen. The conference gave a wake-up call to all stakeholders, he added.
He said the Conference took note of global inequalities, which need to be addressed. The findings of the World Health Report, 2006 were specially highlighted. He said the ratio per 1000 of Health force was 2.3 for African Region; 4.0 for EMRO (which includes Pakistan), 4.3 in South East Asia; 5.8 for W. Pacific Region; 18.9 for Europe; and 24.8 for the Americas.
It was noted that America had 10% of global burden of disease but utilized 50% of World’s financing on 37% of Health Workers. Sub-Saharan Africa on the other hand had 24% of global health burden but only 3% of Health Workers and only 1% of global spending. The conference stressed that all stakeholders should work concretely for removing this unsupportable situation.
Another key issue taken up by the conference was migration of badly-needed health manpower from the very poor countries to the developed markets. This required improvement of working conditions of health-workers especially in the rural areas. The conference urged to finalize negotiations through WHO with WTO to ensure that justice is done to the poor populations. It was pointed out that one in four doctors and one nurse in 20 trained in Africa is actually working in OPEC.
Minister of Health Ejaz Rahim chaired the Ministerial Roundtable held on March 4 to give final shape to the Kampala Declaration on Human Resources for Health. The Ministerial Roundtable was attended by Health Ministers of developing and developed countries including Health Ministers of Norway, France, South Africa, Somalia, and Ethiopia.
The Kampala Declaration was entitled “Health Workers for All and All for Health Workers” and adopted in the plenary session on March 5. In his remarks, the minister as chair of the Ministerial Roundtable urged for adequate resources to resolve the health force crisis, the projection of right skill-mix at national level through country plans, and proper coordination by all national and global partners.
The Health Minister also stressed the importance of the health work force if MDGs have to be achieved.