Moving from advocacy to activism? The fourth WHO global forum on human resources for health and implications for dentistry

Abstract

As we debate shaping the future oral health workforce within the UK, to meet the needs of current and future populations, it is helpful to take an international perspective on this very important issue. Globally, there is a strong recognition that human resources for health (HRH) are fundamentally important to deliver effective care, accessible to all people. This paper reviews the outcome of the fourth global forum held by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Dublin which highlighted the urgency for action. The main objectives of the forum were to advance the implementation of (i) the WHO Global Strategy on HRH 2030 and (ii) the United Nations High-Level Commission's Health Employment and Economic Growth recommendations. From an oral health perspective, the global burden of oral disease remains huge with untreated dental caries, periodontal disease and tooth loss ranking among the most prevalent conditions worldwide. Major considerations are how dental education, practice delivery and/or oral health systems as a whole could and should innovate to accommodate the growing needs of the population. As dental professionals, it also becomes necessary for us to engage and play a proactive role in this change process. Due to growing differences between population needs and available services, it is necessary for oral health personnel to work more closely with the broader health workforce so as to identify solutions that are in the best interests of the patients and populations at large.

A strife of interests: A qualitative study on the challenges facing oral health workforce policy and planning

“…Oral health in many countries is not covered or included as an essential package under mandatory universal health coverage [29,30]. Prior research has also highlighted an international neglect and lack of political priority in global oral health [31,32].…”

“…A better understanding of oral health workforce issues, considered by some as the foundation of oral health care, [32] can be argued as an important step towards addressing this neglect as well as progressing towards achieving universal health coverage in oral health. In recent years, the WHO Global Strategy for Health Workforce 2030 sets a novel agenda of collaborative efforts across professions, and argues for a governance approach and evidence generation for policy-making [33].…”

The dental workforce in Malaysia: drivers for change from the perspectives of key stakeholders

“…As illustrated in Figure , the domains are integrated across the dynamic healthcare systems and organisations 1,2 . The implications of these issues could be modelled and examined in further operational research given the importance of workforce issues 41,57,58 .…”

“…In our global environment, structures and processes to create alignment and integration between centralised government, professional organisations, and individuals often create increasing conflicts due to the different priorities and pressures in governing the workforce 66,67 . Professional challenge and debate is important to test and shape possible solutions in an informed manner and is vitally important to shape the workforce of the future 57 . In this regard, as we report these findings the moratorium limiting dental schools and dental places has expired 68 , and thus as we go to publish this paper, this important governance issue of managing workforce production and capacity are particularly relevant.…”

Profiles of registrant dentists and policy directions from 2000 to 2020

“…Internationally, migration of IDGs across Europe and to Australia has caused concerns about increasing oral health inequalities in source countries, the loss of skilled dental workforce due to the inability of IDGs to integrate into the profession in destination countries, and the rights of the migrant dentists. 12,13 Migration of dentists from low and middle income countries could deplete the oral health workforce from these countries contradicting the World Health Organisation's Code of Conduct on International Recruitment of Health Personnel (WHO Code). 14,15 Migrant health professionals have to overcome barriers of immigration, professional registration examinations, English language tests, financial and social difficulties in order to start practising in the destination country.…”