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Table 5 Strengths and challenges of measures to maintain and increase HRH

From: COVID-19 and human resources for health: analysis of planning, policy responses and actions in Latin American and Caribbean countries

Mechanism

Strengths

Challenges

Recruitment of additional HRH

Novel hiring mechanisms or adjustment of existing mechanisms which are susceptible to being replicated

Mechanisms to absorb newly recruited HRH, which depends on identifying adequate sources of funding

Balancing decent work with flexibility in hiring and working conditions

Temporary reassignment of HRH to COVID-19 treatment

Allows for optimizing existing supply of HRH

Requires quick training in new diseases treatment specific skills

Deployment of students and recent and overseas graduates

Facilitates the continuous flow of HRH to the neediest areas

Mechanisms to relax requirements and accelerate procedures to allow students to graduate so they can enter the workforce

Need for quick training in treating new diseases

Challenge in retaining students when once mandatory service ends

Mitigation of displacement of national HRH, thus avoiding discrimination

Temporary elimination of quality controls

Work shift changes

Allows for optimizing existing supply of HRH

Risk of burnout and mental health impacts

HRH from international cooperation

Facilitates HRH availability lacking in the country

Increase recruitment of international HRH to fill vacancies, usually educated in low- to middle-income countries

Volunteers

HRH availability increased at low or no additional cost

Volunteers may include people who had no healthcare training to provide logistical support in general areas in response to the pandemic, allowing for increasing the scope of medical teams

No payment and lack of decent working conditions

  1. Elaboration based on PAHO [16], WHO [12] and Abdul Rahim et al. [21]