How to allocate public health manpower in township health centers in China scientifically and reasonably?

Abstract

The global health issue is not a shortage of capital or technology, but a shortage of health manpower. Health human resource (HHR), an important component of health resources, determines the quantity, quality and effectiveness of health service, thus greatly impacting on health service to the citizens. In China, providing free basic public health services for urban and rural residents is a specific function of the government to carry out a preventative health policy, and it is a long-term fundamental system arrangement in public health. The implementation of national basic public health service is essential for gradually promoting the equalization of basic public health services, and a key task of deepening medical and health system reform. It is beneficial in preventing and controlling the spread of infectious and chronic diseases, in improving the accessibility to public health service, in gradually reducing urban-rural gaps and in progressively equalizing basic public health service through intervention in health problems of urban and rural residents, which could reduce major health risk factors. Over the decade, the public health service system has been enhanced to promote the equality of urban and rural residents in utilizing public health service by implementing basic and major public health service. Recently, the training of public health personnel in China has been in great progress, but the training of public health personnel especially from grassroots is still confronted with multiple challenges, one of which is unreasonable allocation of human resources. The investment of public health manpower currently lacks a definite plan and aim[1]. A feasible allocation scheme of public health manpower should be designed in combination with socio-economic development based on the health demands of residents[2].