The HRH Action Framework and its application to the health supply chain workforce
The HRH Action Framework (www.capacityproject.org/framework)—also known as the HAF—depicts an approach for planning, developing, and managing the health workforce. The HAF can be used to guide stakeholders in a number of sectors toward the application of strategies to achieve an effective and sustainable health workforce. The ultimate goal of the proposed activities is a health workforce that is able to deliver equitable, efficient, effective, and quality health services and, thereby, improve health outcomes. It is important to note that the framework is not intended as a stand-alone effort, but should be used in conjunction with other tools and guidance.
The HAF has been used successfully in many countries to address systemic challenges in the general health workforce. For example, Uganda improved its HRH Strategic Plan 2005-2020 by applying a comprehensive HAF approach that led to interventions and significant funding for health workforce strengthening from the national budget and the World Bank. For Kenya’s North Eastern Province, the HAF approach provided the basis for a provincial action plan with the objective of producing adequate numbers of skilled and motivated health workers equitably distributed. The plan was subsequently incorporated into the national HR strategy and resulted in increased financing for the health workforce (Global Health Workforce Alliance, USAID, and World Health Organization 2009).
Figure 2: HRH Action Framework
Source: Global Health Workforce Alliance, USAID, and World Health Organization n.d.