Who are health managers? - Case studies from three African countries

Overview

Health managers are considered essential at both the strategic and operational levels of health systems. To gain an initial understanding of the management workforce for service delivery, a rapid descriptive assessment was undertaken in three African countries, namely Ethiopia, Ghana and the United Republic of Tanzania.

The study looked at who the managers are and what their backgrounds are as well as whether they have effective support systems in an enabling organizational environment. The information from the study suggests a major lack of appreciation of this component of the health workforce and the catalytic role it can play in scaling up service delivery. This publication summarizes the findings of the study.