Human Resources
for Health

Human Resources for Health (HRH) are defined as “the stock of all individuals engaged in the promotion, protection or improvement of population health”. The cornerstone of operationalizing the healthcare services within any nation’s health systems lies in its human resources, encompassing professionals including physicians, nursing practitioners, pharmacists, midwives, allied health professionals, community health workers, and other social service providers. Numerous reports underscore the critical importance of targeted investment in the health workforce, citing its multifaceted contributions to economic growth by enhanced productivity and output, fostering social protection and cohesion, social justice, catalysing innovation, and health security. The strategic allocation of resources towards the health workforce is instrumental in advancing progress towards various Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

OUR WORK

Leadership Management Training of Physicians in leadership role

Traditionally, medical leadership in India has followed a hierarchical structure, where professionals assume leadership roles as they ascend to higher positions, either by seniority or rotational appointment. This approach often creates gaps between the “existing competency” and the “required competency” for effective leadership. To address this, the Competency Improvement Program (CIP) was designed as a results-based initiative that aligns individual and organizational goals with measurable performance outcomes. Through this program, participants apply action-oriented principles, supported by real-life coaching, to achieve their self-defined goals and deliver organizationally relevant results. HSTP, in collaboration with Athulya Performance Facilitators, developed this leadership program to drive health transformation in the State. The initiative includes training sample batches, developing coaches, facilitating knowledge transfer, and integrating these efforts into SIHFW for long-term sustainability. Leadership training has already been conducted for cohorts of medical officers in leadership roles at district and sub-district levels. Coaches are being groomed from these cohorts to mentor future participants, with the first batch of mentors ready to commence. Additionally, HSTP is working with SHRC to internalize the coaching program, ensuring scalability with HSTP’s continued support. To further enhance the program, HSTP is collaborating with premier management institutions, including IIM Calcutta, to develop a comprehensive curriculum for leadership development. The first batch of training under this collaboration is scheduled from April 28 to April 30, 2025.

Competency based assessment and training of Primary Healthcare workforce

Competency based assessment and training of Primary Healthcare workforce HSTP partnered with the Government of Odisha and Institutions like AIIMS Bhubaneswar, KIIT School of Public Health, Bhubaneswar, and the Pharmacy Wing, SCB Medical College, Cuttack, and School of Nursing, SIST Tamil Nadu. HSTP also collaborated with the various professional bodies to Identify, Assess and build competencies of Doctors, Nurses, Pharmacists and Lab Technicians in Primary Health Care. Competency building is a three-stage process A. Competency Assessment Framework (CAF) Development; B. Intervention (Competency-based Training) and C. Competency-based training Scale up. Competency Assessment has been completed for Pharmacists and Medical Laboratory Technologists in primary health care and the training process has been initiated. The assessment phase for Nurses and CHOs is going on and the work for doctors is ready to start.

Competency Building in Primary Healthcare: Strengthening Human Resources for Health for Resilient Service Delivery

India’s commitment to achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) hinges on the strength of its primary healthcare system, which serves as the foundation of equitable, accessible, and quality health services. The implementation of Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) through Ayushman Bharat – Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) has brought primary care to the forefront of health sector reforms. However, realizing the full potential of this transformation requires a well-trained, motivated, and adaptive health workforce.

Despite the adoption of Competency-Based Medical Education (CBME), significant gaps persist—particularly in clinical, diagnostic, managerial, and public health competencies at the primary care level. These challenges are amplified in rural and underserved areas where resources are limited, and health needs are diverse and evolving.

Emerging public health threats, including the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), demand a responsive and skilled workforce capable of delivering comprehensive care, promoting prevention, and leading intersectoral coordination efforts.

To bridge these gaps, the Health Systems Transformation Platform (HSTP), in collaboration with government and technical partners, has developed and piloted our structured, competency-based training programs focused on strengthening three essential primary healthcare cadres:

Community Health Officers (CHOs)
Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLTs)
Pharmacists

These training modules are designed not only to enhance the delivery of the 12 CPHC service packages but also to build a robust ecosystem of primary care delivery, strengthen public health surveillance, and improve health outcomes through leadership, accountability, and teamwork.

Our competency-building programs aim to:

Strengthen Human Resources for Health (HRH) through targeted and role-specific training
Improve the quality, efficiency, and responsiveness of primary healthcare services
Advance health equity by enhancing service delivery in underserved areas
Support AMR containment and diagnostic stewardship across all levels of care
Foster interprofessional collaboration and system integration
Enable scale-up of high-impact practices aligned with national health goals

By investing in the capabilities, confidence, and connectedness of primary healthcare providers, India is advancing toward a resilient, people-centred, and future-ready health system that can withstand public health challenges and deliver on the promise of UHC.

Community Health Officers (CHOs)

CHOs are the clinical and public health anchors of HWCs. Our training equips CHOs to go beyond clinical care, enabling them to serve as catalysts for system-wide improvement in their communities. Key competencies include:

Holistic assessment and management of priority health conditions
Effective teleconsultation and digital health facilitation
Infection prevention, biomedical waste management, and AMR containment
Community-based screening and early detection of NCDs, TB, and other conditions
Maternal and child health, family planning, and continuum of care
Disease surveillance and understanding of social determinants of health
Community engagement, behavior change, and health promotion strategies
Emergency preparedness and disaster response
Data-driven reporting and local health system strengthening
Operational delivery of integrated and equitable services

These modules position CHOs as frontline leaders in primary health, enhancing their ability to coordinate care, engage with communities, and drive meaningful change.

Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLTs)

Diagnostics underpin effective clinical decision-making and AMR containment. Our training for MLTs focuses on strengthening both technical capabilities and systems thinking:

Ethical conduct and professional accountability
Implementation of quality management systems for reliable diagnostics
Safe handling of samples, instruments, and consumables
Accurate test interpretation and reporting
Integration into multidisciplinary teams to support clinical pathways
Contribution to AMR surveillance through standardized lab practices
Strengthened documentation, inventory management, and infection control

These enhanced competencies ensure MLTs are not just technicians but key contributors to health system quality, efficiency, and patient safety.

Pharmacists

Pharmacists are pivotal to medication safety, therapeutic outcomes, and health education. Our training empowers pharmacists to become active participants in clinical care and public health:

Rational use of medicines and patient counseling
Regulatory compliance and pharmacovigilance
Efficient pharmacy operations and inventory control
Cold-chain logistics and temperature-sensitive storage
Community outreach and awareness-building for AMR and NCDs
Ethical conduct, team communication, and health education
Adverse drug reaction reporting and monitoring
Integration with broader public health initiatives

Pharmacists trained under this model support safe prescribing, effective dispensing, and responsible antimicrobial stewardship, directly contributing to health system sustainability.

HRH Policies

HSTP is focused to help that state realize to develop its HRH policies by looking at the long-term implications on the health systems. It also nudged the state to bring modifications to the existing medical service rules to support the easier implementation of HRH policies in the state. HSTP is supporting the state of Meghalaya and Chhattisgarh to avoid fragmentation of its policies and synergistically develop its Specialist/Public Health Cadre Policy, Posting/Transfer Policy, and Induction Training Policy for sustainably addressing the challenge of shortage of doctors/specialists within the health system. With comprehensive HRH policies in place, the state will be able to address the challenge of attracting and retaining specialists and doctors within the health system. These would also aid the state to ensure the right kind of human resources is posted at the right level. Apart from this the training and induction policy will complement the above policies by rendering the necessary skills to the doctors/specialists within the health system propelling the state towards making their facilities IPHS compliant in the coming years.

RESEARCH STUDIES

Competency-Based Training for Pharmacists and Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLTs)

Initiatives to build and assess competencies for Pharmacists and MLTs are underway. An expert group will be established to advocate for integrating these competencies into the academic curriculum, thereby enhancing the alignment of training with field requirements.

Competency Development for Community Health Officers (CHOs)

Identify core competencies, develop assessment tools and create targeted training materials for CHOs. This effort will define CHOs’ roles and document essential skills for effectively delivering their expected services.

Leadership Training for Medical Officers

An MoU with IIM-Calcutta will facilitate leadership training tailored to public health contexts for in-service Medical Officers in Odisha, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. The first batches are scheduled for training in April 2025, with concurrent evaluations planned for the CIP program’s implementation in Odisha.

HRH Policy Development for Madhya Pradesh

Building on the efforts in Meghalaya, it is planned to support the development and finalization of Specialist, Public Health, and Teaching Sub-Cadre policies in Madhya Pradesh, along with technical assistance in drafting the State Health Service Rules to strengthen HRH frameworks in the state.

Latest Updates

Strengthening Healthcare in Odisha: Launch of Pharmacy Officers' Competency Building Program

We are proud to announce the successful inauguration of a pioneering Competency Building Training program for Pharmacy Officers in Odisha.

Key Highlights:

Launch of comprehensive Participant Manual and Training of Trainers (ToT) Manual
Evidence-based program design informed by HSTP and Kalinga School of Public Health research
Focus on enhancing pharmaceutical care delivery across the state

Analysis and Manual Presentation of CHO Competency Building Study:

First draft of The Competency Building Manual for Community Health Officers (CHOs) has been meticulously finalized and officially handed over to the secretary health Odisha for approval and further guidance.

Supported Government of Meghalaya

Developing evidence-based HRH policies to ensure the availability and accessibility of quality HRH in the state. Supported the State Health Department in finalizing Specialist and Public Health Cadre policy. HSTP also supported Meghalaya in drafting the Transfer and Posting policy and its revision based on the responses received from the State Working Group on HRH policies.