Advancing public health workforce's professional development: implications for Ukraine

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Workforce Development
• Policy Analysis

Background:

• Ukraine faces challenges in its public health system transformation.
• Professionalizing the public health workforce (PHWf) is a national priority.
• The WHO-ASPHER Roadmap provides a framework for PHWf development in Europe.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore stakeholder strategies for advancing PHWf professionalization in Ukraine.
• To analyze current policies and identify enabling factors for PHWf development.
• To propose actions for enhancing the public health system (PHS) in Ukraine.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods qualitative approach was employed.
• Document analysis of Ukrainian policy and regulatory documents.
• Qualitative survey research with relevant public health stakeholders.

Main Results:

• Document analysis covered Laws of Public Health Services (LoPHS), higher education, and continuous professional development.
• Survey results identified priority areas: PH laws and regulation, education and training, and financing.
• The proposed PHWf professionalization program aligns with the WHO-ASPHER Roadmap.

Conclusions:

• Ukraine's PHWf professionalization program aligns with European regional goals.
• There's a need to bridge the gap between legislation, current workforce status, and international standards.
• Coordinated development across public health services and workforce domains is crucial.