Health labour market policies in support of universal health coverage: a comprehensive analysis in four African countries

Table 4 Selected health labour market indicators in the four countries ^a in 2004 and difference in indicators from 2004 to 2011

	Cameroon[15]	Kenya[16]	Sudan[12]	Zambia[13]
Stock and density indicators 2004
Density of health workers (per 1,000 population)	2.34 (total no. 37,752)	1.2 (total no. 38,922)	2.55 (total no. 99,538)	3.8 (total no. 41,429)
Density of physicians (per 1,000 population) ^b	0.192 (total no. 3,124)	0.037 (total no. 1,203)	0.22 (total no. 7,552)	0.137 (total no. 1,499)
Density of nurses and midwives (per 1,000 population) ^c	1.598 (total no. 26,042)	0.498 (total no. 16,146)	0.917 (total no. 31,496)	2.015 (total no. 22,010)
Distribution of health workers by category	8.2% physicians, 69% nurses and midwives, 22.8% others	3.1% physicians (significantly less than 2002 or 2008), 41.5% nurses and midwives, 55.4% others	7.6% physicians, 31.6% nurses and midwives, 60.8% others	3.6% physicians, 53.1% nurses and midwives, 43.3% others
Difference in indicators from 2004 to 2011
Density of health workers	−0.47	−0.4	−0.19	−2.66
Density of physician	−0.09	−0.06	0.38	0.06
Density of nurses and midwives	−0.668	−0.05	0.1	1.16

Sources: refs [11–13, 15, 16].
^aData are for 2004 or the most recent year available. Countries are given in alphabetical order. Numbers in square brackets give the reference number of the source of the data.
^bThe term physician includes following health worker categories: doctors and medical assistants for Sudan; physicians, medical licentiates and clinical officers for Zambia; medical officers for Cameroon; medical officers and registered clinical officers for Kenya.
^cThe term nurses and midwives includes following health worker categories: midwives and nurses for Sudan and Zambia; nurses for Cameroon (no cadre of midwives is listed in the available data); bachelor of science in nursing and registered community health nurses for Kenya. In Cameroon and Kenya, midwives are not listed as a separate cadre.

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