In May/June 2020 HRDA produced a Draft Strategic Plan for Human Resources for Health 2021-2030, building on an earlier draft by the PNG National Department of Health with World Bank support. The Plan was led by HRDA Senior Associate Emeritus Professor Arie Rotem, supported by HRDA Directors Graham Roberts PhD and Lee Ridoutt MSc. PNG’s health delivery system is in a weakened state due to a poor HRH system in general: Information system, HRH planning, HRH management and development, compensation/benefits/incentives, production/supply, deployment/ placement, utilization, supervision, regulation, monitoring and evaluation, policy and standard development are all in need of strengthening.
The Draft HRH 20210-30 plan focuses on six strategic objectives and their corresponding interventions:
Strategic Objective 1 focuses on capacity building at all levels of the health system.
Strategic Objective 2 focuses on initiation of HRH transparent and fair procedures for recruitment and distribution with emphasis on rural and remote areas. Strategic Objective 3 focuses on improving the retention of health workers through improvements to working and living conditions in rural and remote areas,
Strategic objective 4 focuses on the need to improve access for staff at all levels to continuing education through contextually appropriate technologies.
Strategic objective 5 focuses on addressing the challenge of producing increased numbers of HRH with the required competencies that align with PNG’s health care needs.
Strategic objective 6 focuses on creating a system to monitor that graduates of programs offered by accredited education providers, and licensed practitioners are competent to perform their professional duties at the standards set by licensing laws and strengthened statutory authorities.
Although over a long period (2021-30) and geared to the objectives of PNG’s Vision 2050, the Draft HRH Strategic Plan is framed as a rolling plan to be revised to allow consideration of the prevailing socioeconomic, epidemiological and demographic conditions, as well as emerging opportunities and constraints and evidence about what works best.