Theme One: Human Resources for Health

Introduction: Health systems in both developed and developing countries are under pressure to improve service delivery to an ever increasing population with limited or reducing resources (Hossain and Alam, undated). This includes the human resources which constitute a major input in health care delivery and a key determinant of the cost and quality of care. Expenditures on personnel in most health systems around the world account for over 70% of recurrent budgets (Buchan, 1999; Ozcan and Hornby, 1999; Hall, 2001; and AED, 2003). There is an increasing need, therefore, for health organizations to identify the most appropriate staffing levels and skill mix to ensure efficient and effective use of the limited resources (Buchan, 1999).