Access to health isn't simply about infrastructure, hospitals and medication, it is also about the nurses, doctors and other health practitioners that are a part of it. A key advice for the WHO Workforce 2030 and the actors working on it would be to move away from focusing on the instrumentalist, utilitarian role of the health workforce in economic growth and labour markets, and rather emphasise the intrinsic value of a competent workforce in improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities.
The migration of health professionals is at the junction of the right to mobility, right to health and the right to decent work. It is about finding an acceptable compromise between the rights and obligations of migrant workers, employers and governments based on sound research findings
Illustration: Thailand
Thailand has four decades of experience with strategies for solving the inequitable distribution of human resources for health (HRH) between urban and rural areas. There are four key components in these strategies: (1) Development of rural health infrastructure. (2) Educational strategies including rural recruitment, training and hometown placement. (3) Professional-replacement strategies such as training in basic medical care capacities for rural health personnel. (4) Financial strategies such as a compulsory public service, incentives for working in rural services, payback for tuition fees by rural public work, reform of the health care financing system to Universal Coverage Health Scheme.
The migration of health professionals is at the junction of the right to mobility, right to health and the right to decent work. It is about finding an acceptable compromise between the rights and obligations of migrant workers, employers and governments based on sound research findings
Illustration: Thailand
Thailand has four decades of experience with strategies for solving the inequitable distribution of human resources for health (HRH) between urban and rural areas. There are four key components in these strategies: (1) Development of rural health infrastructure. (2) Educational strategies including rural recruitment, training and hometown placement. (3) Professional-replacement strategies such as training in basic medical care capacities for rural health personnel. (4) Financial strategies such as a compulsory public service, incentives for working in rural services, payback for tuition fees by rural public work, reform of the health care financing system to Universal Coverage Health Scheme.