IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON HIV, TB, MALARIA PROGRAMMING IN AFRICA: WHAT WERE COUNTRY EXPERIENCES AND KEY INTERVENTIONS?

Covid-19 A FOCUS ON HUMAN RESOURCES FOR HEALTH (HRH)

BACKGROUND

Many African countries continue to face significant challenges to providing adequate health care services due to understaffing, high staff attrition and poor working conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the situation as HRH, not only for healthcare but also for HIV, TB and Malaria (HTM) programming, remains overstretched.

FACTS

• Africa has 14% of the world population, has 25% of global disease burden and yet there are only 1.3% of global health workers (HWs);
• There are 0.8 HWs per 10,000 population yet 2.5 HWs per 10,000 population are needed to meet the Sustainable Development Goals; and
• By 2015, only 11 countries in Africa had met the minimum threshold of 2.3 HWs per 10,000 population.
Source: WHO Report, 2017