Join a Learning Exchange on Human Resources for Health (HRH) Resource Optimization

We are accepting applications to participate in a new learning exchange to discuss explicit processes for HRH resource optimization to improve health care service delivery and quality. This activity will focus on human resources for health resource optimization to improve health care service delivery and quality. It will bring together a group of frontline practitioners and country representatives to both exchange and improve their national strategies through cross-country virtual engagements. 

The learning exchange is being hosted by the USAID Local Health System Sustainability Project (LHSS) in partnership with the Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage (JLN) and is open to JLN and non-JLN countries.

The Joint Learning Network for Universal Health Coverage (JLN) brings network members together for productive and high-impact practitioner-to-practitioner exchanges on a variety of health systems topics, often related to health finance or primary health care service delivery. The JLN Service Delivery and Quality Technical Initiative invites Expressions of Interest to participate in a learning exchange focused on human resources for health (HRH) resource optimization to improve health care service delivery and quality.   With facilitation by the Local Health System Sustainability (LHSS) project, the learning exchange will bring together a group of frontline practitioners and country representatives to both exchange and improve their national strategies through cross-country virtual engagements.

Who Can Apply?

This offering is open to JLN and non-JLN countries. Any low- or middle-income country may submit an expression of interest (EOI) for this learning exchange, nominating a team of two to three individuals committed to action and supporting work in overall HRH governance and resource optimization for public health facilities. 

For JLN member countries, it should be the country core group (CCG) that nominates participants. Team members should meet the following profile: (1) be actively involved in efforts to improve HRH resource optimization activities, including strategy development and implementation at the national, regional, or district levels; (2) have a good understanding of the complexities involved in applying interventions to tackle technical inefficiency related to HRH resource optimization; and (3) have the time, availability, and ability to engage in the learning exchange. 

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Accelerating progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) in low- and middle-income countries is dependent on reducing inefficiencies in health systems. Factors contributing to optimizing HRH have been widely identified in the literature. For example, technical inefficiencies in health care settings can result from inadequate education and training, unmotivated and underqualified workforce whose productivity and performance are low, workforce shortages, high turnover, poor working conditions and more. This learning exchange will build on JLN’s previous HRH-related offerings to broaden the scope of discussion to HRH resource optimization to improve health care service delivery and quality, with a focus on the sub-topic ‘deployment, organization, and role distribution.’ Depending on participants’ interest, the learning exchange could also explore other areas at the intersection of HRH optimization and technical efficiency, such as policies and practices to mitigate health workforce burnout; rural recruitment, placement, and retention; low health worker productivity and performance; effective and efficient performance management systems; and supply and demand in the number and type of health workers produced in relation to population needs and disease burden.  During a rapid scoping phase,  we will further refine the sub-topic areas to ensure the learning agenda will meet participants’ needs. 

The learning objectives of the exchange are:

• Joint learning to share successful country experiences and promising practices in tackling HRH resource optimization to improve healthcare service delivery and quality; and
• To document the experience of successful efforts that have helped to improve technical HRH resource optimization and share it as a global public good.

What You'll Do

The learning exchange will run for 3 months (estimated between July-September 2022). Participants in the learning exchange will be expected to:

• Establish a country team of two or three participants with deep engagement in the country’s human resources for health.
• Participate in one-on-one learning sessions between country teams and the technical facilitation team to collect country experience, current policies and plans, challenges, and learning in improving HRH resource optimization.  This would entail an initial call of up to one hour, and possible future discussions if a country would like to present at a learning exchange.
• Participate in one introductory ‘ground zero’ meeting and two virtual plenary meetings (up to 2 hours each).
• Contribute to a global resource, by sharing their country experiences during country outreach and virtual meetings and validating the product.
• Engage with, and be responsive to, the technical facilitator(s) via email, telephone, Skype or other communication platforms.

The learning exchange will provide an opportunity for country teams to cross-pollinate proven approaches to optimizing HRH in their respective countries, thereby contributing to the strategic allocation of resources to their respective country’s national health to deliver higher quality services. Participants will also contribute to a global resource in the form of a catalog of approaches to tackling technical inefficiencies related to HRH, which can serve as a reference guide for other countries to adapt the promising practices to their own needs and context. Any products developed by the learning exchange will be shared publicly as they become available.

How to Submit an Expression of Interest

The deadline to submit an application has been extended to July 15, 2022 

Click here to find a full description of the activity 

If you are not able to access the EOI form, please contact the JLN network manager at jln@msh.org for alternative arrangements to make an EOI submission.