Conclusion

An effective supply chain is a cornerstone of any successful health care system. While infrastructure and facilities are absolutely necessary to a functioning supply chain, equally crucial is a competent, motivated, and supported workforce that is able to respond in a timely and sustainable manner with the quality and quantity of supplies needed to address national health care needs. SCM and HRH technical specialists and decision-makers will achieve significant mutual benefit by applying the HRH Action Framework to develop and support the supply chain workforce. The framework promotes the collection and use of up-to-date HRH information to develop workforce policies, strategies, and plans that include provisions for performance management and retention and are supported by budgetary commitments to create, improve, and sustain the supply chain workforce. It highlights a number of areas where supply chain and HRH specialists have interests in common, where their attention to the supply chain workforce and ways to strengthen it will benefit health system performance. As in most instances, the approach and the priority issues to be addressed will be those best-suited to the country context.