Filling the Gaps in the Pharmacy Workforce in Post-Conflict Areas: Experience from Four Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Int J Environ Res Public Health

Collaborating Centre for Oxford University and CUHK for Disaster and Medical Humanitarian Response (CCOUC), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.

Published: July 2021

AI Article Synopsis

  • The pharmacy workforce is significant in global healthcare, but its role in post-conflict sub-Saharan Africa remains poorly understood, particularly in countries like CAR, DRC, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
  • Semi-structured interviews with nine key informants revealed major challenges in pharmacy service delivery, including unpredictable health needs, insecure transport, and workforce shortages caused by brain drain and disrupted education.
  • Addressing these barriers requires strategic policy solutions focused on improving living and working conditions, ensuring safety, and developing career opportunities to enhance pharmacy workforce retention and support universal health coverage in conflict-affected regions.

Article Abstract

Background: While the pharmacy workforce is the third largest professional healthcare group worldwide, the pharmacy workforce landscape remains unclear in post-conflict areas in sub-Saharan Africa.

Method: Key informants were selected for semi-structured interviews due to their role in providing pharmacy services in the selected country: the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, and South Sudan. Transcripts from the interviews were anonymized, coded, and analyzed.

Results: Nine participants were recruited (CAR: 2; DRC: 2; Ethiopia: 2; South Sudan: 3), and all except two were pharmacists. Conflict-specific challenges in pharmacy service delivery were identified as the following: unpredictable health needs and/or mismatched pharmaceutical supply, transport difficulties due to insecure roads, and shortage of pharmacy workforce due to brain drain or interrupted schooling. Barriers to health workforce retention and growth were identified to be brain drain as a result of suboptimal living and working conditions or remuneration, the perception of an unsafe work environment, and a career pathway or commitment duration that does not fit the diaspora or expatriate staff.

Conclusion: To tackle the barriers of pharmacy health workforce retention and growth, policy solutions will be required and efforts that can bring about long-term improvement should be prioritized. This is essential to achieve universal health coverage and the targets of the sustainable development goals for conflict affected areas, as well as to "leave no one behind".

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8346012PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158132DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

pharmacy workforce
16
post-conflict areas
8
drc ethiopia
8
ethiopia south
8
south sudan
8
brain drain
8
health workforce
8
workforce retention
8
retention growth
8
pharmacy
7

Similar Publications

The meat processing industry was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Deemed essential, the meat processing workforce faced the risk of exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Along with other essential workforces, meat processing workers were prioritized in the national approach to receive COVID-19 vaccines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: As populations age globally, there is increasing prevalence of multiple long-term conditions, such as dementia, leading to many challenges. The burden on health and care services, economic pressures, and the necessity for innovative policies to better support older people and people with dementia becomes paramount. This review explores how clinical pharmacists working in UK primary care support older people and people with dementia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Toxic workplace environments, especially those involving gaslighting, are known to contribute to stress and excessive work habits, such as workaholism, which may hinder a nurse's agility-an essential skill in adapting to fast-paced healthcare environments. However, the interplay between workplace gaslighting, workaholism, and agility in nursing remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the relationship between workplace gaslighting, workaholism, and agility among nurses, focusing on how gaslighting moderates this relationship.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Naturopathic practitioners consult an estimated 6.2% of Australian adults, equating to 1,550,000 people receiving their care each year. Sleep is now recognized as a key pillar of health; however, nearly half of all Australian adults report inadequate sleep.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pregnancy related hypertension is a leading cause of preventable maternal morbidity and mortality in the US, with consistently higher rates affecting racial minorities. Many complications are preventable with timely treatment, in alignment with the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health's Patient Safety Bundle ("Bundle"). The Bundle has been implemented successfully in inpatient settings, but 30% of preeclampsia-related morbidity occurs in outpatient settings in North Carolina.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!