Webinar 1

Webinar 1: Mobilizing surge capacity of health care workers in response to COVID–19 pandemic

• Episode 1: Mobilizing surge capacity for public health actions, which include field epidemiologists, public health workforce for case identification, contact tracing, quarantine, risk communication and community engagement, leverage of private sectors, identify innovation strategies (if any), challenges and recommend effective solutions.

Host: WHO South-East Asia Region

Co–host: USAID and Assian Development Bank

Date and time: 14 August 2020; 18.00-19:45h Bangkok time (UTC+7)

Main issues (background):

 Health workers (HWs) are at the forefront of the COVID-19 response. They not only play a critical role in delivering COVID-19 related care but also in preventing the transmission of the virus and in delivering routine essential health services.

 

Most countries in Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions already face an overall shortage of health workers, along with skill-mix imbalances, geographical maldistribution and a short supply of clinical specialists.

 

Rapid increases in the workload due to COVID-19 related demand for services has further exacerbated the shortages. In addition, countries have had to plan and create the surge capacity for the health workforce to meet the growing COVID-19 public health needs such as case identification, contact tracing, quarantine and isolation and risk communication among others.

 

The emerging health workforce situation poses a challenge for the COVID-19 response that needs to be addressed. Countries in the three regions have been implementing policy actions and initiatives to address the health workforce needs. This webinar presents an opportunity to share some good practices on health workforce policy, planning, management and training.

 

Objectives:

• Recognize the current public health workforce challenges for the COVID-19 response and efforts undertaken to address them;
• Share good practices and lessons learnt on improving public health workforce surge capacity to respond to COVID-19 pandemic;
• Identify policy options and actions needed to strengthen the public health workforce, to create a resilient health system and to respond to COVID-19.

 

 

Moderator / Speakers / Commentary

Introductory remarks:

• Mr Manoj Jhalani, Director Health Systems Development, WHO South-East Asia Region

Moderator:

• Wanda Jaskiewicz, Director of the USAID/HRH2030 project

Speakers:

Speaker 1: Country experience from a high COVID-19 burden country in EMR

• Dr Assad Hafeez, Vice Chancellor, Health Services Academy University, Islamabad, Pakistan

Speaker 2: Country experience from a high COVID-19 burden country in SEAR

• Dr Rajan Khobragade, Principal Secretary Department of Health, Kerala State, India

Speaker 3: Country experience from a high COVID-19 burden country in WPR

• Professor Yik-Ying Teo, Dean of the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore

Commentary:

• Prof Gabriel Leung, Dean of Medicine and Chair of Public Health Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

 

Closing remarks:

• Dr. Patrick Osewe, Chief of the Health Sector Group, Asian Development Bank

 

Audiences:

• National and subnational health policy-makers responsible for developing and implementing health workforce plans for COVID-19 response
• International organizations, professional associations, and research institutions working in the field of health systems and more specifically in the area of human resources for health

 

Download: 

• Speaker 1 Dr Assad Hafeez_AHRH COVID19 AAAH Webinar v1
• Spekaer 2 Dr Rajan WHO_Seminar – 14th August 2020
• Speaker 3 Professor Yik-Ying Teo_AAAHCOVID_aug2020

Webinar 1: Mobilizing surge capacity of health care workers in response to COVID–19 pandemic

Episode 2:  Mobilizing surge capacity for diagnostic and clinical management which include physicians, nurses and midwifes, pharmacists, laboratory technicians. What additional measures are introduced such as package of financial, non-financial incentive including social recognition packages, identify challenges and recommend effective solutions;

Host: EMRO

Co–host: USAID and Asian Development Bank

Date and time:  21 August 2020

 

Main issues:  

The rapid increase in the numbers of cases and their geographical spread has created enormous demand and stress on health systems and health workers worldwide.  Health workers are at the forefront of the response to COVID-19, both as service providers and as high-risk groups for contracting the disease. The rapidly increasing workload has resulted in shortages in the health workforce in general, and in certain specialties in particular, such as intensive care unit physicians and nurses, infectious diseases specialists, pulmonologists, respiratory therapists, laboratory professionals and more in addition to field epidemiologists and public health specialists who are involved in the public health response.  The acute onset of the epidemic has meant little time for adequate training and has led to limited capacities  of  health workforce involved in the diagnosis and management of identified COVID-19 cases besides the shortages in equipment (e.g., ventilators) and supplies (e.g., PPEs, medicines) which are required to allow health staff to provide the adequate care to patients.

Most countries have already been facing an overall shortage of health workers, along with skill-mix imbalances, geographical maldistribution and a shortage of specialized health workers.  The session will address.

– Health workforce shortages faced during the COVID -19 response

– How surge capacities were mobilized, approaches and implications of mobilizing surge capacities

– Capacity building implications for existing and additionally mobilized health workers

– Financial implications of addressing health workforce shortage

– Long term implications in terms of required capacities and competencies of future health workers.

Objectives:

– To identify gaps in health care workers involved in the diagnosis and clinical management of COVID-19 cases and the challenges encountered to mobilizing surge capacities.

– To share global and national experiences in planning and implementing mobilization of surge capacities of health care workers required for diagnostic and clinical management at various

– To formulate policy options for countries to facilitate enhancing surge capacities, for diagnosis and clinical management of future outbreaks and pandemics, as part of building back better resilient health systems.

 

Moderator / Speakers / Commentary

Opening and Closing:

Dr Awad Mataria, Director, UHC Health Systems Department, WHO/EMRO

Moderator:

Eduardo P. Banzon, Asian Development Bank

Speakers: 

Speaker 1: Country experience from a high COVID-19 burden country in EMR

• Dr Mohammad Assai Ardakani, Adviser to the Minister for Public Health Affairs, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, I.R. Iran

Speaker 2: Country experience from a high COVID-19 burden country in SEAR

• Dr Anver Hamdani, Director, Tertiary Care Services, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka

Speaker 3: Country experience from a high COVID-19 burden country in WPR

• Dr Zhang Junhua, Director General, Health Human Resource Development Center, National Health Commission, China

Commentary:

• Dr Manuel Dayrit, Dean, Ateneo de Manila University School of Medicine and Public Health, Philippines

 

Audiences:  

– National and subnational health policy-makers responsible for developing and implementing health workforce plans for COVID-19 response, national IMST members, regulatory bodies,

– International organizations, professional associations, and research institutions working in the field of health systems and more specifically in the area of human resources for health

 

Downloads

Commentator_MMDayrit Commentary_AAAH W1 E2
Speaker 1_Dr. Mohammad Assai Ardakani AAAH W1 E2
Speaker 2_Dr Anver Hamdani AAAH W1 E2
Speaker 3_Dr. Zhang Junhua AAAH W1 E2

Webinar 1: Mobilizing surge capacity of health care workers in response to COVID–19 pandemic

Episode 3: Sustaining non-COVID-19 essential health services and maintaining quality of care (such as non-communicable diseases, accident and emergencies, and other medical urgencies) by HCWs in the context of COVID-19 response

Host: WHO South-East Asia Region

Co-host: USAID and JICA

Date and time: August 28 2020; 18.00-19:30h Bangkok time (UTC+7)

Main issues (background):

The pandemic has disrupted service delivery and diverted HRH to provide COVID-19-related services. However, essential services and non-COVID services (e.g. NCDs, urgent care, emergencies) still need to be sustained as we are seeing foregone care, decreased equitable access, and decreased essential service utilization. This session will demonstrate how countries can optimize their health workforce to maintain high-quality essential service coverage and either return coverage levels back to baseline. The following three questions will guide the discussion:

1. How has the demand for essential services changed because of COVID-19 and how are countries mobilizing HRH to respond in primary care settings? In LMICS looking to make progress on the SDGs and UHC, the government’s role is to ensure access to quality, affordable essential services. To ensure continuity of care, how are countries adapting their HRH models in primary care settings? How has the private sector been engaged?
2. What is the role of the pharmacist in sustaining essential service coverage? Pharmacists are often the first touch point with the health system and they are critical in the fight against COVID-19. Has their role changed, or expanded after COVID-19 to ensure essential service coverage? Have they been involved in helping their communities adapt to a new normal of care-seeking behavior and engagement with the system, especially for accessing medical products and referrals? How are countries using innovative mobile technologies to empower pharmacy professionals to protect themselves and their patients during this pandemic? How is the private sector being engaged to strengthen the health system?
3. How are countries utilizing human resource information systems (HRIS) to optimize their health workforce (e.g. planning, recruiting, deploying) for non-COVID services (including emergencies, NCDs etc.) and inform decision-making? Information and data is key for decision-making to help manage the health workforce at the central and subnational level as it relates to ensuring the appropriate distribution and deployment of qualified health workers fit-for-purpose (with the necessary skill mix and competencies). What type of data and information (i.e. feedback from the system) is needed to inform decisions? How are private providers being engaged and incorporated into national HRH planning?

Objectives:

• Provide data and information on essential service coverage before and during COVID-19
• Learn how countries are adapting their primary care delivery models to ensure health workers provide continuity of care for essential services
• Compare lessons learned across multiple countries about the role of the pharmacists in sustaining essential service coverage and how mobile technologies are being used to empower them
• Examine how countries are utilizing their HRIS systems to manage and optimize their workforce to respond to the demand for non-COVID services
• Determine how to engage private sector providers to decrease essential service coverage gaps
• Provide recommendations to other countries based on country cases/experiences

 

Moderator / Speakers / Commentary

Introductory remarks: Ms. Sweta Saxena, Health Systems Advisor, USAID/ASIA 

Moderator:  Professor Palitha Abeykoon, former Director Sri Lanka Medical Association and former Health Systems Director WHO-South East Asia Region Sri LankaSpeakers:

Speaker 1: Country experience EMR

• Najibullah Safi, MD, MSc, Health System Program Manager, WHO Country Office, Afghanistan

Speaker 2: Private sector experience (Asia Regional)

• Farouk Meralli, CEO, mClinica Pharmacy Solutions

Speaker 3: Country experience from SEAR

• Trisa Wahjuni Putri, Secretary, Human Resources for Health Development and Empowerment Agency, MOH Indonesia

Commentary:

Dr. Haruka Sakamoto, JICA Ogata Research Institute COVID-19 Response Comparative Research Team Member, Japan

Closing remarks:

Ms. Sweta Saxena, Health Systems Advisor, USAID/ASIA

Audience:

• National and subnational health policy-makers responsible for developing and implementing health workforce plans for COVID-19 response and non-COVID services
• HRIS managers and users
• International organizations, professional associations (esp pharmacist associations), and research institutions working in the field of health systems and more specifically in HRH
• Private sector companies engaging with HRH, especially through digital platforms

Downloads

Speaker 1_Safi_COVID_19 Continuation of essential health services
Speaker 3_AAAH Presentation_INDONESIA_Putri_Aug28, 2020
Speaker 2_mClinica – AAAH – Digital Pharmacy