Global health and innovation: A panoramic view on health human resources in the COVID‐19 pandemic context

Abstract

While policy‐makers in many jurisdictions are paying increasing attention to health workforce issues, human resources remain at best only partially aligned with population health needs. This paper explores the governance of human resources during the pandemic, looking at the Quebec health system as a revelatory case. We identify three issues related to health human resource (HHR) policies: working conditions, recognition at work and scope of practice. We empirically probe these issues based on an analysis of popular media, policy reports and participant observation by the lead authors in various forums and research projects. Using an integrated model of HHR, we identify major vulnerabilities in this domain. Persistent labour shortages, endemic deficiencies in working environments and inequity across occupational categories limit the ability to address critical HHR issues. We propose three ways to eliminate HHR vulnerabilities: reorganize work through participatory initiatives, implement joint policy making to rebalance power across the health workforce, and invest in the development of capacities at all system levels.

How Can Health Systems Better Prepare for the Next Pandemic? Lessons Learned From the Management of COVID-19 in Quebec (Canada)

“…To document the process, different sources of data were used. We searched Google and Google scholar, as well as the websites of the provincial and federal governments, and the organizations directly or indirectly involved in the management of the crisis in Quebec and Canada (more details on these organizations are provided below) (27). Given the exceptional context that did not allow for in-depth empirical data collection, we also collected testimonials from the field, including first-hand clinical and managerial experiences, as well as leveraged our experiences to bring about reflections.…”

“…Second, its originality lies in the fact that it emphasizes the central role of governance and trust in achieving and sustaining HSSS preparedness for EID (28). Despite its limitations, our approach to the crisis management process allowed our team to bring conceptual and empirical clarity to the key issues raised by each component of the analytical framework (27,30,31).…”

Health workforce protection and preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a tool for the rapid assessment of EU health systems

“… 31 The benefit of this approach is that it is theory-driven, referring to governance and professions theories. 3 , 29 , 32 …”

Strategic human resource management in the era of environmental disruptions

“…For a society to overcome environmental disruptions, it should be able to quickly and effectively mobilize and allocate human resources. When a global health crisis (such as the SARS outbreak or the COVID‐19 pandemic) occurs, a massive number of health professionals need to be mobilized and appropriately deployed to the place of need (Denis et al, 2021; Tian et al, 2022). When a natural disaster (such as a typhoon or earthquake) strikes a region, government agencies, medical institutions, and not‐for‐profit organizations must immediately redeploy their staff, quickly hire new personnel, and mobilize volunteers to minimize human suffering (Merlot & de Cieri, 2012).…”