Programs:

Human Resources for Health:

Uganda is currently facing a health workforce crisis that threatens the quality of care and the health rights of its population. Uganda currently has only one-third of the minimum number of doctors, nurses, and midwives that the World Health Organization recommends.  Geographic imbalances and migration to urban areas leads to an inequitable distribution of health workers, leaving rural areas without qualified health professionals to serve hospitals and clinics. Although the government of Uganda has made some efforts to address the health workforce crisis, more needs to be done.

AGHA is an active member and the current host of the Health Workforce Advocacy Forum Uganda (HWAF), a coalition of health professional associations, trade unions, and health rights organizations committed to addressing this crisis.  HWAF is part of a global movement that is advocating for improved working conditions, training, and support for health workers and health systems in developing countries so that patients get the highest quality of care.

The goal of HWAF-U is to advocate for investments, concrete policy changes and improved implementation of existing policies that will lead to enhanced training, recruitment, and retention of health workers in Uganda.  HWAF-U will work to ensure a motivated and high performing health workforce so that all Ugandans can enjoy the right to quality health services.

HWAF is currently working on three main objectives:

To ensure that all approved posts are filled with trained health workers by the end of 2009.

To improve infection prevention and control mechanisms in clinics and hospitals country-wide.

To implement a national policy mandating effective and high quality community-based education as a part of all health professional pre-service training programs.

For more information about HWAF or AGHA’s work around human resources for health, please email hwaf@aghauganda.org.