E-DRUG: First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health
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Global Health Workforce Alliance
http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/forum/en/index.html
First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health
2 - 7 March 2008, Kampala, Uganda
The Global Health Workforce Alliance is to convene the first ever Global
Forum on Human Resources for Health in Kampala, Uganda from March 2-7, 2008.
The Forum will be attended by up to 1000 participants, including government
leaders, eminent health, development, civil society, academic and health
professional leaders from around the world. This Forum will provide an
extraordinary platform for sharing and exploring solutions, consensus and
capacity building, and will further galvanize a global movement that is
emerging as a response to the increasingly pertinent human resources for
health (HRH) crisis.
The Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA) is a partnership dedicated to
identifying and implementing solutions to the health workforce crisis and is
hosted and administered by WHO.
The Kampala Forum comes at a critical moment when problem recognition has
grown enormously and the international community is now moving towards
action in addressing global health challenges. With an acute global shortage
and migration of healthcare professionals, unfavorable and challenging
working conditions, inequalities in access to basic health needs, new killer
diseases threatening global security and shorter life expectancies, a new
type of health workforce, capable of responding to these challenges is
needed for the 21st century.
The Forum meshes well with current movements to revitalize primary health
care on the 60th anniversary of WHO, 30 years after Alma Ata. It promises to
be an exciting and critical next step for achieving global goals and
re-energising the global movement for better health in the 21st century.
"Unfavourable working conditions, widespread shortages and large scale
migration of health workers are the challenges we face today. With new
killer diseases threatening global security, aging populations and changing
work patterns, there is an ever-growing demand for health workers worldwide.
How can we give people the care they need if we don't have enough health
workers?
The problem has now been recognized. Practical solutions are beginning to
emerge. We are, therefore convening the first-ever Global Forum on Human
Resources for Health in order to share experiences, launch a Global Action
Plan and build a global movement to ensure that every person in every
village everywhere has access to a skilled, motivated and supported health
worker."
Video message Dr. Francis Omaswa
<http://video.who.int/streaming/ghwa_message.wmv>
Dr Francis Omaswa, Executive Director of the Global Health Workforce
Alliance (GHWA)