The importance of effective human resources policies for improving the performance of health systems has
been increasingly highlighted in recent years (Martinez & Martineau, 1998; Joint Learning Initiative, 2004,
WHR 2006). However, health workforce strategic planning and policy development faces two challenges.
First, human resources planning has not historically been a policy priority of health ministries in developing
countries. It is likely to take slow pace and a much more compelling evidence base to convince health ministries
to change their priorities. Second, where such planning has taken place, it has generally focused on inputs and
outputs or the staffing needs of specific health programmes. Thus pre-service education and ratios of health
workers to target population are often emphasized above all else. While education and deployment figures are
important, they are only two components of a much larger set of issues affecting health workforce policies.
Broader concerns include financing and payment, the overall educational environment, the management of
the health workforce, working conditions, and the policy environment. A more comprehensive approach to
designing health workforce policies is therefore warranted.