Distribution of Human Resources

The 20th Century has seen the professionalisation of health occupations, the establishment of regulatory councils and professional associations, the founding of training schools for an increasingly diverse set of health professions, increasing numbers of professionals,the unionisation of workers and the advent of a very enlightened and legislated labour environment.

There is still however wasteful utilisation and inequitable composition, development and distribution of human resources in health.

There has been a growing emphasis on curative and high-tech health care, accompanied by hospital-based and doctor-centred services, creating a supply of health personnel not appropriately equipped for preventive and promotive care.

Racial segregation, fragmented services and separate facilities and the different homelands divided human resources and lead to differential and exclusive training and development.

Separate private and public sectors and the urban/rural divide worsened the disparities in the distribution of personnel in health, in favour of the private sector and urban areas.

Recent developments in labour relations also posed serious challenges to the bureaucratic and organisational culture of the public health sector.