Health systems around the world are looking to improve access to health services and health system effectiveness. Two key interlocking components of a sustainable health workforce solution are to keep scarce skills in the system by effective retention strategies, and to enable them to be deployed where they can best make a positive difference to population health. Many management, education and policy solutions to achieving “right time, right place” are being tried and tested in different countries. The aim of this themed special edition of “Human Resources for Health” is to report on new analysis, strategic intelligence, and evidence that is pointing to improvements in retention and distribution of health workers. Sponsored by Health Workforce Australia (HWA) , this series draws from studies in a range of countries, and provides new insights into what can be done to improve access to health through more effective human resources policies, planning and management. The primary focus is on health workforce distribution and retention.
Prof James Buchan