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Volume 19 Supplement 1

Countries' experiences on implementing WISN methodology for health workforce planning and estimation

Research

Edited by Teena Kunjumen, Mollent Okech, Pamela McQuide, Tomas Zapata and Khassoum Diallo.

Publication of this supplement was supported by the World Health Organization (WHO). Articles have undergone the journal's standard peer review process for supplements. Supplement Editor declarations: Teena Kunjumen serves as technical officer in Data Evidence and Knowledge Management (DEK) unit in the Health Workforce Department (HWF), WHO-HQ. Mollent Okech serves as technical officer in Universal Health Coverage/Health Systems, Life course and Healthier Populations in WHO, Papua New Guinea. Pamela McQuide serves as Health Workforce Development expert in IntraHealth International, USA. Tomas Zapata serves as Regional Advisor, Health Workforce and Service Delivery Unit in WHO-EURO. Khassoum Diallo serves as the Unit Head of the Data Evidence and Knowledge Management (DEK) unit in the Health Workforce Department (HWF), WHO-HQ.

The views expressed in this supplement are those of the authors alone and do not represent the views of WHO.


  1. A major human resources for health challenge for Nigeria is ensuring the availability and retention of adequate competent health workers in the right mix to provide health care particularly at primary health c...

    Authors: S. C. Okoroafor, A. Ahmat, M. Osubor, J. Nyoni, J. Bassey and W. Alemu
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):108
  2. A shortage in human resources, particularly physicians, has become a challenge confronting health authorities in the Duhok governorate, as these resources are the key input for delivering health care. It has b...

    Authors: Samim Ahmed Al-Dabbagh, Hushyar Musa Sulaiman and Nazik Abdulrahman Abdulkarim
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):117
  3. Health services cannot be delivered without an adequate, competent health workforce. Evidence suggests a direct relationship between density of health workforce and health outcomes. The Philippines is faced wi...

    Authors: Ma Graziella Aytona, Mary Ruth Politico, Leah McManus, Kenneth Ronquillo and Mollent Okech
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):129
  4. The balance between supply and demand for primary health care (PHC) services is one of the main challenges to the health system in Brazil. In this context, the application of planning methods could benefit the...

    Authors: Daiana Bonfim, Ana Carolina Cintra Nunes Mafra, Danielle da Costa Palacio and Talita Rewa
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):130
  5. Vietnam has encountered difficulties in ensuring an adequate and equitable distribution of health workforce. The traditional staffing norms stated in the Circular 08/TT-BYT issued in 2007 based solely on popul...

    Authors: Thu Thi Hoai Nguyen, Hung Thanh Phung and Anh Thi My Bui
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):124
  6. Functioning health systems require a health workforce (HWF) that is qualified, available, equitably distributed, and accessible to the entire population as the basis for guaranteeing access to health. There is...

    Authors: Angélica Araújo de Menezes, Catharina Leite Matos Soares, Mario Roberto Dal Poz and Isabela Cardoso M. Pinto
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):116
  7. Rural India has a severe shortage of human resources for health (HRH). The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) deploys HRH in the rural public health system to tackle shortages. Sanctioning under NRHM does no...

    Authors: Aatmika Nair, Yash Jawale, Sweta R. Dubey, Surabhi Dharmadhikari and Siddhesh Zadey
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):147
  8. The clinical laboratory services, as an essential part of health care, require appropriate staff capacity to assure satisfaction and improve outcomes for both patients and clinical staff. This study aimed to a...

    Authors: Sanja Stankovic and Milena Santric Milicevic
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):143
  9. The study analyzes the allocation of specialized doctors’ orthopedists in a high-complex hospital, using the WHO’s Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) methodology and approach, which measures the workl...

    Authors: Claudia Regina Machado, Deise Brasil and Mario Roberto Dal Poz
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):123
  10. The article describes a healthcare staffing exercise that took place in a Cancer Hospital IV, Brazil’s first public palliative care unit. There are numerous gaps in the literature on specialized cancer staffin...

    Authors: Alessandra Pereira da Silva and Mario Roberto Dal Poz
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):135
  11. Bangladesh’s Health system is characterized by severe shortage and unequitable distribution of the formally trained health workforce. In this context, government of Bangladesh uses fixed staffing norms for its...

    Authors: Md Nuruzzaman, Tomas Zapata, Valeria De Oliveira Cruz, Sabina Alam, Samiun Nazrin Bente Kamal Tune and Taufique Joarder
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):151
  12. The Ministry of Health in the Sultanate of Oman decided to have better distribution of the health workforce among all health facilities through evidenced-based staffing norms. Four directorates worked together...

    Authors: Nazar Mohamed and Nahida Al-Lawati
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):113
  13. Papua New Guinea has seen some improvements in health indicators over the past years, but the pace of improvements is not as robust as expected. The Health Services Plan for Braun District Hospital redevelopme...

    Authors: Dixon Dimiri, Nelson Mek, Mary Therese Apini, Thelma Ali, Grace Turi Pumuye, Varage John Laka, Rosemary Jogo, Pamela Kari, Deki, Okech Mollent, Dapeng Luo, Anna Maalsen, Katu Yapi and Robin Madodo
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):142
  14. Globally, many countries are adopting evidence-based workforce planning that facilitates progress towards achieving sustainable development goals for reproductive, maternal newborn and child health. We reviewe...

    Authors: Teena Kunjumen, Mollent Okech, Deki, James Avoka Asamani, Nazar Mohamed and Md. Nuruzzaman
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):155
  15. Globally the occurrence of disasters has increased more than fourfold during the last three decades. The main concern for the healthcare system responding to a disaster is its ability to deal with the sudden i...

    Authors: Muhammad Zeeshan Haroon and Inayat Hussain Thaver
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):120
  16. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the burden on health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where health systems already struggle. To meet health workforce planning needs during the pan...

    Authors: Pamela A. McQuide, Amy Finnegan, Katherine M. Terry, Andrew Brown, Cheick Oumar Toure, Jeanne Tessougue, Ibrahim Cisse, Mathew Kariuki Thuku, Janet Muriuki, Mary Ochola, Julius Ogato, Etienne Coulibaly and Toure Djeneba Togora
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):111
  17. Staffing of health services ought to consider the workload experienced to maximize efficiency. However, this is rarely the case, due to lack of an appropriate approach. The World Health Organization (WHO) deve...

    Authors: Grace Nyendwoha Namaganda, Audrey Whitright and Everd Bikaitwoha Maniple
    Citation: Human Resources for Health 2022 19(Suppl 1):138