Human Resources for Maternal & Newborn Survival
No One There: The human resource crisis in emergency obstetric care
Without health care providers qualified to deliver life-saving emergency obstetric care (EmOC), women and newborns are cut off from treatment proven to save their lives.
The widespread shortage of skilled providers of EmOC is indicative of the alarming breakdown of health systems in developing countries. Most countries in sub-Saharan Africa have fewer than five doctors for every 100,000 people. Without an adequate workforce, health systems are failing to uphold their citizens’ right to health.
Our vision: For each and every woman experiencing life-threatening obstetric complications, there will be a competent, authorized, and supported health care provider ready and able to deliver EmOC.
Making change: Building an innovative solution to the human resource crisis
Landmark conference on human resources organized by AMDD
In July 2009, AMDD held the Human Resources for Maternal Survival: Task-Shifting to Non-Physician Clinicians conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference brought together some 350 health professionals, government officials, and development partners - representing a total of 42 counties, including 29 from sub-Sahara Africa. Participants gathered to examine and share inventive approaches to addressing the human resource gap in the delivery of EmOC, focusing on the training and deployment of non-physician clinicians as important and undervalued members of the health care team.
Read the conference’s Call to Action.
AMDD works with national governments, United Nations agencies, and local non-governmental organizations to implement innovative strategies that address the massive shortage of health workers able to deliver EmOC.
One strategy, pioneered by several sub-Saharan African countries, utilizes non-clinician physicians to treat women facing life-threatening obstetric complications. For many years, in countries such as Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania, non-physician clinicians have successfully delivered EmOC in communities unable to attract and retain doctors.
Along with our in-country and global partners, AMDD researches the current use of non-physician clinicians to explore their potential as a solution to the human resource crisis. We use these findings to help inform and advocate for regional, national, and global policy change.
Pursuing new approaches to enduring problems
Training, deploying and supporting non-clinician physicians.
Learn more about our technical work in human resources:
- Task-sharing: Non-physician clinicians step in for doctors with equal success
- Strengthening the skills of non-physician clinicians: Becoming a critical part of a clinical team
- Strengthening training systems for non-physician clinicians
Resources
Download our human resource policy briefs, newsletter, and other materials:
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Policy briefs:
- Expectations of doctors and mid-level providers
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Who is doing what? Performance of the emergency obstetric
signal functions by non-physician clinicians and nurse-midwives
in Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania -
Factors Affecting Job Satisfaction and Retention in Malawi,
Mozambique and Tanzania: The Importance of Supervision
- Improving Maternal Survival: The Case for Mid-Level Providers
- Newsletter: Human Resources for Maternal Survival: Developments in Task-shifting
- Glossary of human resources terms
Filling the gap: Why AMDD is tackling the human resource crisis
Despite non-physician clinicians’ tremendous potential to alleviate the strain on human resources, there has been limited documentation and advocacy around their utilization.
In response, AMDD is working with country partners to boost recognition and acceptance of non-physician clinicians as an effective and affordable solution to the human resource crisis. We are also expanding knowledge about how to support performance, motivation, and retention of non-physician clinicians, nurses, and midwives who currently deliver the bulk of EmOC in developing countries.
Where we’re working in human resources
- Burkina Faso
- Ethiopia
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Tanzania
- Zambia
All part of a larger health system
Trained and competent health workers are essential, but there are many other pieces of the health system that must come together to ensure access to life-saving EmONC for all women and newborns.
Learn about our work in