Análisis de la gestión de recursos humanos en los modelos de salud familiar, comunitaria e intercultural de los países andinos / Analysis of human resources management in family health, community and intercultural models in Andean countries

Introducción: Junto con destacar la importancia de contar con trabajadores sanitarios en cantidad y calidad suficientes, los Estados miembros del Organismo Andino de Salud - Convenio Hipólito Unanue (ORAS/CONHU), han impulsado iniciativas orientadas a generar y diseminar conocimiento sobre políticas, estrategias y modelos de gestión de recursos humanos. Objetivo: Analizar el componente de Gestión de Recursos Humanos de Salud, identificando los modelos aplicados y su contribución a la instalación de un sistema de salud basado en atención primaria. Diseño: Estudio cualitativo. Lugar: Ministerios de Salud de los países andinos. Participantes: Gestores de Recursos Humanos. Intervenciones: Diseño y aplicación de instrumento para el análisis cualitativo. Resultados: Los países han logrado avances en el desarrollo de los sistemas de gestión de recursos humanos de salud, reconociéndose que los problemas persistentes son la escasez e inadecuada distribución del personal, así como, perfiles profesionales de egreso que no se ajustan plenamente a las necesidades de salud derivadas del cambio epidemiológico y de un creciente compromiso por avanzar hacia el acceso y cobertura universales de salud. Conclusiones: Estrategias innovadoras de planificación, formación y gestión del desempeño, podrían contribuir a enfrentar los problemas de recursos humanos de salud, en un contexto adecuado de liderazgo y gobernanza.

Introduction: While stressing the importance of health workers in sufficient quantity and quality, the member states of the Andean Health Organization -Hipólito Unanue Agreement (ORAS / CONHU) have launched initiatives aimed at generating and disseminating knowledge on policies, strategies and models of human resource management. Objective: To analyze the component of Human Resources for Health Management, identifying models used and their contribution to the set up of a health system based on primary care. Design: Qualitative study. Location: Ministries of Health of the Andean countries. Participants: Managers of Human Resources. Interventions: Design and implementation of a tool for qualitative analysis. Results: Countries have made progress in developing systems for managing human resources for health. They acknowledge that persistent problems include staff shortage and maldistribution, as well as professional graduate profiles not fully meeting population health needs derived from epidemiological change and a growing commitment to universal health coverage. Conclusions: Innovative strategies for planning, training and performance management could help to address the problems of human resources for health in a proper context of leadership and governance.

Disponibilidad de médicos y especialistas en Chile / Availability of physicians and specialists in Chile

The availability and planning of Human Resources are important issues in many countries, as it is a key factor to cope with the critical challenges of Health Care Systems. In Chile, the Ministry of Health has undertaken several studies in order to improve knowledge about the medical workforce both in public and private sectors. The aim of this paper is to update and systematize the existing data on physicians and specialists availability in Chile. Several information sources were crossed to obtain new and more precise figures about this topic. According to the Internal Revenue System, 29.996 physicians practice medicine in the country, 43 percent of them hired in public services, part or full time. There is a high concentration of professionals in the central regions of Chile. Being the overall density of physicians of one per 559 inhabitants, the figures in the central region is one per 471 and one per more than 800 in the South and North. Between 2004 and 2008, the public sector increased its physician workforce by more than 80 percent in primary health care and more than 20 percent in the secondary and tertiary levels. This paper presents a method for a more rigorous identification of the categories of general practitioner and specialist respectively, and the results obtained from the databases used.

Desarrollo de un sistema de educación a distancia en el sector público de salud: 2004-2009 / Development of a distance education program in the Public Health System in Chile, 2004-2009

This paper reports the gradual development and results achieved in the distance education program set up in the Public Health System in Chile in 2004. Up to date, more than 22,000 students from 29 different health divisions have been trained. This strategy was designed to provide more flexibility and diversity to the training programs of the Health System within the framework of a deep and complex organizational change promoted by Health Reform. The main results show that the integration of organizational, teaching, logistic and budgetary aspects has turned out to be a key element in its success, validating the relevance of the provided solutions. The access to training by means of e-learning or blended learning (electronic education that includes traditional and distance learning activities) allowed employees to choose more independently what, where and when to study. This fact accounts for the high demand for this program. Through this initiative, the National Health System, introduced a wider scope of responses to training needs, which will mean a better adaptation to the challenges associated to health care.