Bottlenecks: Addressing the AIDS Epidemic through Increasing Human Resources for Health

jennifer — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:48:05 +0000

This post was originally published on the IntraHealth International blog.

In a world where over 33 million people are living with AIDS it is imperative to address the human resources for health (HRH) crisis. The critical questions and solutions generated by this discussion are a step towards a world without AIDS.

I had the opportunity to attend a panel at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna that focused on strategies for the HRH crisis. The panelists agreed that HRH is a critical problem, but one without an easy or quick solution. The lack of human resources, especially in areas most affected by HIV and AIDS, has made combating the disease a challenging and complex problem.

Author's name:

Nola Bower-Smith

Publication Date:

July 2010

Reflections on Health Workers at AIDS 2010

jennifer — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:49:12 +0000

The main hallway at the AIDS 2010 conference is a barrage of banners, notices, and signs—yet a few things jump out and demand to be noticed. One large photo shows an erect penis with a bejeweled hand grasping its base. Posters ask, “Will you be spanked between sessions?”

These got my attention. AIDS activists are good at such tactics, and they need to be—it’s a matter of life and death.

Death and dying are what many health workers confront every day, noted Yogan Pillay of South Africa’s National Department of Health. Showing some sobering data, he pointed out that “if we don’t take care of health workers, they will not take care of patients.” And in a session on supporting health workers to deliver care, Masamine Jimba of the University of Tokyo described how the Japanese character for “busy” literally means “losing heart.”

Author's name:

Sarah Dwyer

Publication Date:

July 2010

AIDS2010

Bottlenecks: Addressing the AIDS Epidemic through Increasing Human Resources for Health

Reflections on Health Workers at AIDS 2010