Project: increasing the number of available health personnel in Mozambique
Beneficiary: WHO
Duration: 2005-2011
Budget: 587.600 euro
The Human Resources for Health programme (HRH) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) aims to reinforce the Mozambican Ministry of Health. By doing so, the WHO gears towards increasing the number of available health personnel, in order to offer better health services to the community.
With its 0.03 doctors and 0.21 nurses per 1000 people, Mozambique has one of the lowest densities of health workers in Africa. There is a huge shortage in basic health workers, but also in higher educated doctors and nurses. Additionally, the number of available personnel is also unequally divided between the urban and rural areas, which makes access to basic health care a problem for the poorest population. The staff shortage is seen as the main barrier in the health sector, and forms one of the biggest challenges when it comes to reaching the Millennium Development Goals.
With the help of the WHO, the Mozambican Ministry of Health has created a development plan for the Human Resources for Health programme. The goal is to double the amount of health workers per 1000 people by 2015.