Human resources planning in health care system – the need or the necessity?

The article presents the main assumptions and limitations of human resources planning in health care system and conditions of this process in Poland. The results of the WHO research inform about the world crisis of medical staff. The situation in our country is extremely difficult due to lack of formal organization/structure responsible for planning of human resources for health. Moreover the core indicators of Polish medical staff (physicians-per population ratio, nurses- per population ratio) are one of the lowest in Europe. Public health experts and professional associations of medical staff (e.g. National Chamber of Nurses and Midwifes) have developed worrisome forecasts of the availability of the medical staff in our country but policy makers don’t undertake activity in this field.
For the purpose of dealing with problems of medical staff shortages in Poland it is necessary to establish cooperation of different partners and institutions (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Higher Education, professional association, medical universities, data collection institutions, unions, health service providers). Planners and decision makers should develop and implement models and strategies for planning of medical staff which are need-based, outcome-directed and that recognize the complex and dynamic nature of health care services.
 

The article presents the main assumptions and limitations of human resources planning in health care system and conditions of this process in Poland. The results of the WHO research inform about the world crisis of medical staff. The situation in our country is extremely difficult due to lack of formal organization/structure responsible for planning of human resources for health. Moreover the core indicators of Polish medical staff (physicians-per population ratio, nurses- per population ratio) are one of the lowest in Europe. Public health experts and professional associations of medical staff (e.g. National Chamber of Nurses and Midwifes) have developed worrisome forecasts of the availability of the medical staff in our country but policy makers don’t undertake activity in this field.
For the purpose of dealing with problems of medical staff shortages in Poland it is necessary to establish cooperation of different partners and institutions (Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Higher Education, professional association, medical universities, data collection institutions, unions, health service providers). Planners and decision makers should develop and implement models and strategies for planning of medical staff which are need-based, outcome-directed and that recognize the complex and dynamic nature of health care services.