Human Resources for Health leadership and management: Overview - World Health Organization (WHO)

Editorial verdict

Institutional document. This is a WHO curriculum framework overview — authoritative in scope and intent, but descriptive rather than empirical; treat as a structural reference for HRH education design, not as evidence-based research.

Executive summary

This document addresses the global shortage of qualified leaders and managers in Human Resources for Health (HRH) by presenting a structured curricula package developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). The author's central argument is that a critical mass of competent HRH leaders and managers must be formally developed to strengthen health systems through structured education. The package comprises three prototype curricula — a one-year master's course, a one-month course, and an executive short course — each targeting different levels of learners. Key domains of study include policy and planning, management, communication, information and communication technology, data management and analysis, and research. The document serves as an overview and accompaniment to the full curricula package, outlining rationale, learning objectives, scope, teaching methods, institutional requirements, assessment frameworks, and course evaluation approaches. The implied conclusion is that standardized, competency-based HRH leadership education, grounded in a health labour market framework, is a viable mechanism for addressing systemic weaknesses in health workforce governance globally.