Assessing the influence of the Health Labour Market Framework in addressing health worker availability: a case of Turkana County

Abstract

The United Nations has projected a shortage of 18 million health workers if the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs’) are to be attained. Kenya has developed a national human resources for health strategy which gives policy and strategy guidance to County governments which are now responsible for management of their health workforce. This study referenced the health labour market framework as a basis to review how effectively the county has identified and addressed the health worker demand and supply factors. The study employed a mixed methods approach. The target population was all health workers in level 2-4 facilities in Turkana County. The population comprised of staff at the 153 operational health facilities in Turkana County. The study also targeted the members of the County Public Service board in Turkana and the health management team members in the county including the Chief Officer for Health, the County Human Resources for Health officer and County Public Service Board HR Manager. The sample size of the study was 100 health workers. Stratified sampling was used to sample the health workers while purposive sampling was used to pick the key informants. Data collection involved administration of questionnaires, conducting key informant interviews and review of secondary data. Quantitative data was analysed through descriptive statistics while qualitative data was analysed through content analysis. The study established that the current implementation of the measures has positive effect on availability of health workers across the county. The study recommends that the prioritization and sequencing of measures be aligned to the needs of health workers and that further studies be conducted to determine the factors influencing the implementation of HRH policies in Turkana County.