• The improvement of staffing levels could be attributed to the Health National Training Operational Plan.

By STANSLOUS NGOSA –
PROVISION and access to comprehensive, quality health care services is important for the achievement of health equity everyone in Zambia.
Moreover, good health is an essential prerequisite for national development.
Access to health care impacts on the overall physical, social and mental health status, prevention of disease and disability of people.
However, limited access to health care impact people’s ability to reach their full potential and negatively affecting their quality of life and subsequently affecting the development of the nation.
Previously, however, health care service delivery had been characterised by poor and insufficient provision of health care due to a number of factors which included inadequate funding, human resources and policy.
For instance, the budget for health services was previously at a paltry six per cent of the total annual national budget thus resulting in poor and insufficient provision of essential health care.
Inadequate funding and budgetary allocation to the ministry also led to overworked, poorly remunerated and de-motivated human resource as well as massive brain drain.
Frequent shortages of essential medicines whose procurement was riddled with gross irregularities; dilapidated health infrastructure; discriminatory financing mechanisms of the health sector were some challenges facing the health sector.
The other challenges were manual and outdated health information system; and an organisational structure ill fitted to deal with the critical and worsening health challenges.
It is for this reason that the Government is trying to improve the health sector because it realises the huge benefits of good health for its citizens towards national development.
There are several issues the Government is trying addressing in the sector which include health services financing, service provision, human resource, medicine and technology.
However, this article looks at the improved staffing levels across the country between 2012 and 2013 although the human resource situation remained below the World Health Organisation recommended levels.
According to Ministry of Finance Economic Report of 2013, the human resource personnel increased to 22,051 from to 21,135 during the year under review representing 4.3 percent increase.
Nine hundred and sixteen (916) trained professionals were recruited with radiography posting the largest increase at 44.0 per cent followed by pharmacy at 22.0 per cent.
Recruitment of doctors and nurses has also increased by 8.6 per cent and 5.6 per cent, respectively.
In terms of share of total recruitments, nurses accounted for the largest share at 58.6 per cent followed by pharmacists. Despite the recruitment, the human resource situation remained below the recommended levels with a shortfall of 22,712 against the approved establishment of 44,763
In terms of national clinical workers per 1000 population, there was a reduction to 1.4 per 1000 population from 1.5 per 1000 population in 2012.
This out-turn was below the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended frontline health personnel level of 2.5 per 1000 population.
The improvement of staffing levels could be attributed to the Health National Training Operational Plan. The plan is being achieved through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) where the private sector will be encouraged to set up health training facilities.
The key recommendations of the national plan (2013-2016) are fully implemented, the Zambia Human Resource in Health Crisis would be resolved by 2020 and there could be a 142 per cent increase in the number of students enrolled annually in health training institutions, from 3, 818 in 2012, to an expected 9, 270 to be enrolled by 2016.
The shortage of qualified health workers has been mainly due to low training outputs from training institutions, insufficient number of lecturers, inadequate funding, and infrastructure to increase training outputs.