Governing the mixed health workforce: learning from Asian experiences

Area of Science:

• Health Policy and Systems Research
• Global Health Workforce Studies

Background:

• Health workforces in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) exhibit significant heterogeneity.
• This diversity includes variations in legitimacy, practice formality, employment sectors (public/private), and knowledge systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the opportunities and challenges of governing diverse health workforces in LMICs.
• To illustrate these issues using case studies from Asian countries.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative analysis of health workforce composition in LMICs.
• Case study approach focusing on three Asian country settings.

Main Results:

• Heterogeneity presents both opportunities and challenges for health workforce governance.
• Diverse provider cadres and knowledge systems require tailored coordination strategies.
• Governance approaches must be responsive to the complex realities of LMIC health systems.

Conclusions:

• Effective health workforce coordination in LMICs necessitates adaptive governance.
• Understanding and managing workforce diversity is crucial for improving health system performance.
• Case studies highlight context-specific challenges and successful strategies for diverse health workforces.