Working in Health: Financing and Managing the Public Sector Health Workforce (Directions in Development)

Working in Health focuses on two key human resources for health policy questions: What is the impact of government fiscal policy on health worker staffing levels, and how effectively do governments manage health wage bill resources in the public sector? Through in-depth country case studies in Kenya, Zambia, Rwanda, and the Dominican Republic this book demonstrates how an analysis of wage bill budget trends, budget execution rates, and other factors helps determine whether wage bill ceilings are an important constraint to hiring health workers in the public sector. This book also reviews policies and practices related to recruiting, deploying, promoting, sanctioning, and paying health workers in the public sector in the four countries. In both of these policy areas, the options for reform are discussed. The health workforce challenges in developing countries are significant, but the evidence base for policy makers is weak. This book is an important contribution in the areas of fiscal policy and public sector management.