Strengthening human resources for health. A study of health worker availability and performance in Tanzania

Project summary

The current project focuses on the HRH-situation in Tanzania. Tanzania shares the problems of severe shortages and poor performance of health personnel, partly as a result of lack resources and necessary infrastructure (Health Research for Action 2003:30), but also due to problems of administration, priority setting and poor remuneration of health workers that contribute to low motivation and performance. The main aim of this project is to contribute to improved health worker availability and performance in Tanzania by identifying key determinants of health worker availability and performance at district level, and reasons for observed disparities between policies and activities. The project is important for fostering closer interaction and collaboration between high quality research groups in the field of HRH. The project has been developed through close collaborations between central institutions for research and capacity building in the field of HRH in Tanzania, Norway and other European countries. Supplementary funding for relevant Tanzanian components and collaborating European institutions is already available through NUFU- and EU-funded projects. Research training to a PhD level for 5 candidates, 3 of whom are funded from other sources, will be an integrated part of the activities.