2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

330864
A multidisciplinary approach to address the Human Resources for Health (HRH) shortage for HIV/AIDS service delivery in Tanzania


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 12:43 p.m. - 12:56 p.m.

Vamsi Vasireddy, MD, MPH, DrPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Emma Mtiro, MPH, Human and Institutional Capacity Building, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Angela Makota, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Background: Tanzania faces a serious shortage in Human Resources for Health (HRH). The 2013 Health Sector Strategic Plan review identifies 0.9 physicians and 4.8 nurses/ midwives per 10000 people, which is well below the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 23 clinicians/ 10000 people. Under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tanzania is working with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) to improve the quality and quantity of HRH for HIV/AIDS service delivery.

Approach: Through implementing partners CDC provides support to Health Care Worker (HCW) curriculum development and financial support towards pre-service training, and works closely with MOHSW to develop and implement policies that support the recruitment and retention of HCWs in targeted areas. In addition, CDC provides technical and financial assistance to MOHSW towards developing task sharing policy guidelines, which function as a stop-gap measure to address HCW shortage until vacant positions are filled.

Results: CDC-funded partners have developed and revised curricula for nurses, midwives, social workers, and parasocial workers. A new curriculum for Health Aides (community health workers and medical attendants) is being developed with the support of CDC and USAID. CDC supported the salaries of 3211 HCWs in 2013 and 2902 HCWs in 2014. 

Conclusion: The presentation aims to provide a description of the multidisciplinary approach adopted by CDC TZ to address the health care worker shortage that affects HIV/AIDS service delivery in Tanzania. In addition to the current efforts, CDC will provide technical and financial assistance towards creating staffing plans for MOHSW by analyzing the distribution and need for HCWs, and support the development of a recruitment and retention plan. The methods/ approach designed and implemented by CDC have potential to be applied in similar countries where HCW shortage is affecting HIV/AIDS service delivery.

Learning Areas:

Administration, management, leadership
Program planning
Public health administration or related administration
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Explain the HRH crisis and its impact on HIV/AIDS service delivery in Tanzania. Demonstrate the multidisciplinary approach taken by CDC Tanzania to address the HRH crisis. Identify best practices from the multidisciplinary approach that can be applied to other countries.

Keyword(s): Workforce Development, International Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a public health physician with 15+ years of experience in the fields of health systems strengthening and capacity building. I currently serve as a Senior Health Advisor for CDC Tanzania and lead the Human Capacity Building agenda on behalf of the US Government. I lead, design, and implement various activities to address the Human Resources for Health (HRH) shortage and capacity in Tanzania.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4241.0: Training, human resource development and workforce issues