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Global health and innovation: A panoramic view on health human resources in the COVID‐19 pandemic context
Author(s) -
Denis Jean Louis,
Côté Nancy,
Fleury Charles,
Currie Graeme,
Spyridonidis Dimitrios
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the international journal of health planning and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1099-1751
pISSN - 0749-6753
DOI - 10.1002/hpm.3129
Subject(s) - workforce , scope (computer science) , human resources , business , corporate governance , context (archaeology) , global health , pandemic , health policy , work (physics) , public relations , citizen journalism , political science , health care , economic growth , covid-19 , economics , medicine , geography , computer science , engineering , mechanical engineering , disease , archaeology , finance , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , programming language
While policy‐makers in many jurisdictions are paying increasing attention to health workforce issues, human resources remain at best only partially aligned with population health needs. This paper explores the governance of human resources during the pandemic, looking at the Quebec health system as a revelatory case. We identify three issues related to health human resource (HHR) policies: working conditions, recognition at work and scope of practice. We empirically probe these issues based on an analysis of popular media, policy reports and participant observation by the lead authors in various forums and research projects. Using an integrated model of HHR, we identify major vulnerabilities in this domain. Persistent labour shortages, endemic deficiencies in working environments and inequity across occupational categories limit the ability to address critical HHR issues. We propose three ways to eliminate HHR vulnerabilities: reorganize work through participatory initiatives, implement joint policy making to rebalance power across the health workforce, and invest in the development of capacities at all system levels.