Sustainability of the Health Care Workforce in Africa: A Way Forward in Zambia

By Rachael Dixey and Mary Green.

Published by The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability

Format	Price
Article: Print	$US10.00
Article: Electronic	$US5.00

Loss of trained health care personnel in sub-Saharan Africa, due to migration and death and other factors is threatening the sustainability of health care in many African states. The ‘brain drain’ of doctors and nurses has been debated extensively, with solutions proposed for example by the Africa Union. This paper considers an attempt by a partnership between a training college in Zambia and a UK University to tackle sustainability of the health workforce, by offering opportunities for professional development in-country, by an emphasis on public health, and by educating a critical mass of workers who can effect change. The educational provision has been well received, has supported the Zambian government in carrying out health care reforms, and has strengthened capacity within the higher education sector in Zambia.

Keywords:	Health Care in Africa, Brain Drain, Zambia, Public Health Workforce, Chainama College, Leeds Metropolitan University

The International Journal of Environmental, Cultural, Economic and Social Sustainability, Volume 5, Issue 5, pp.301-310. Article: Print (Spiral Bound). Article: Electronic (PDF File; 1.159MB).

Prof Rachael Dixey

Principal lecturer, Faculty of Health, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK

Dr. Rachael Dixey is an experienced educator of health workers particularly in resource poor countries; she is currently head of Health promotion and public health at Leeds Metropolitan University, with research interest in health inequalities. She has published in the areas of childhood injuries, childhood obesity and aspects of women’s health. She has a role in public health workforce development in the UK and elsewhere, and has been working in Zambia and The Gambia on strengthening the public health work force. Previously she worked in Botswana on primary education for all, and she has worked for many years on school based health promotion.

Mary Green

Principal lecturer, Faculty of Health, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK

Mary Green trained as a nurse and midwife, and has also practised as a health promotion specialist; she has spent a third of her working life as a health worker in West and Southern Africa. She has many years of experience of in country and regional capacity building of health workers. Her interests include gender, development and health, and community development. She is currently the course leader for the MSc Public Health in Zambia and The Gambia at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Reviews:

There are currently no reviews of this product.

Write a Review