National Health Workforce Accounts

The National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA) is a tool designed by the World Health Organization to support countries in collecting, analyzing, and utilizing data related to their health workforce. The NHWA is critical in supporting the development of Human Resources for Health Information Systems (HRHIS) and strengthening health systems by providing a detailed and structured approach to managing health workforce information, which is crucial for making informed policy decisions and addressing workforce challenges. In addition, it supports countries in their national health workforce policy and planning and facilitates the standardization of health occupations (using ISCO standards) for interoperability with international platforms.

The National Health Workforce Accounts tool has four modules for data collection and analysis of the health workforce, as follows:

Data/Statistics

Number of countries in the Region of the Americas with information in the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA), on:

Strategic partner

World Health Organization

Benefits of the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA)

Comprehensive Data Collection

The NHWA provides a standardized framework for collecting comprehensive data on various aspects of the health workforce, including stock, distribution, education, and labor market dynamics. This allows countries to gather consistent and comparable data over time, facilitating a deeper understanding of workforce trends and needs.

Evidence-Based Policy Making

With reliable and detailed data at their disposal, policymakers can make informed decisions that are grounded in evidence. This is crucial for developing strategies that effectively address workforce shortages, maldistribution, and skill mismatches, ensuring that the right number of health workers with the right skills are in the right places.

Workforce Planning and Management

NHWA’s detailed indicators help countries more effectively plan and manage their health workforce. By understanding current and future workforce needs, countries can better align their educational outputs with labor market demands, optimize recruitment and retention strategies, and ensure that the workforce is adequately supported and utilized.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Continuous monitoring facilitated by NHWA enables countries to track the impact of their health workforce policies and interventions. This ongoing evaluation helps adjust strategies in response to emerging trends and challenges, promoting a dynamic and responsive health workforce system.

Improved Health Outcomes

A well-planned and managed health workforce is essential for delivering quality health services. NHWA supports countries in building a workforce that can meet the population's health needs, leading to improved health outcomes and progress toward universal access and universal health coverage.

Enhanced Resource Allocation

By providing detailed insights into the health workforce, NHWA enables more effective resource allocation. Countries can prioritize investments in education, training, and workforce development where needed, ensuring that financial and human resources are used efficiently.

Greater Equity in Health Services

NHWA data helps identify disparities in the distribution of health workers, enabling targeted interventions to address inequities. This ensures that underserved and rural areas receive adequate health services, promoting equity in healthcare access and outcomes.

Strengthened Health Systems

A robust health workforce is a cornerstone of a resilient health system. By supporting comprehensive workforce planning and management, NHWA contributes to the overall strengthening of health systems, making them more resilient and capable of responding to public health emergencies and other challenges.

International Comparability and Benchmarking

The standardized approach of NHWA allows countries to compare their health workforce data with international benchmarks. This fosters global learning and collaboration, enabling countries to adopt best practices and innovate in health workforce management.

Enhanced Accountability and Transparency

NHWA promotes transparency in health workforce data, enhancing accountability among stakeholders. This openness helps build trust and fosters a collaborative environment for addressing health workforce challenges.

Video tutorials

Below is a series of video tutorials to help you understand and use the National Health Workforce Accounts platform and portal.

Video 1. Onboarding tutorials

Video 2. Decision-making and HRHIS

Video 3. The NHWA framework

Video 4. Focal points

Video 5. NHWA platform and portal

Video 6. Activity Level

Video 7. Priority Indicators

Video 8. Health facility types

Video 9. Module 1 - Stock and flow

Video 10. Module 2 - Education

Video 11. Modules 3 and 4

PAHO, WHO, and UN commitments and platforms that utilize NHWA data:

PAHO Policy on the Health Workforce 2030: Strengthening Human Resources for Health to Achieve Resilient Health Systems. Assessing progress on the five strategic lines to strengthen human resource for health.
PAHO Core Indicators portal with Density of Medical Doctors, Nursing Personnel, Pharmacists, Dentists and midwives
WHO Global strategy on human resources for health: Workforce 2030. Assessing progress of health occupations for health milestones.
WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel (WHA63.16). Provide information for the national reporting instruments regarding international health workforce migration.
WHO Community health workers delivering primary health care: opportunities and challenges. Support reporting through the NHWA mechanism of community health workers as well as traditional medicine and complementary health workers.
WHO Strengthening nursing and midwifery: investments in education, jobs, leadership and service delivery. Facilitate monitoring the implementation of the global strategic directions for nursing and midwifery.
Protecting, safeguarding and investing in the health and care workforce. Support assessment of health and care workforce.
WHO Human resources for Health. Support assessing progress in Member States on the implementation of the Working for Health 2022-2030 Action Plan.
The Global Health Observatory
United National Sustainable Development Goal 3.c.1. Provide data on health workers stock by occupation for the SDG 3.c.1 report, and the Global strategy on human resources for health: Workforce 2030 (WHA69.19).