National workforce capacity for essential public health functions: operational handbook for country-led contextualization and implementation
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World Health Organization
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x, 30 p.
This operational handbook supports country-led contextualization and implementation of the World Health Organization’s roadmap on national workforce capacity for essential public health functions (EPHFs). Developed in response to lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and broader public health challenges, it provides guidance for policy-makers, planners and educators on strengthening the public health workforce as a foundation for universal health coverage, health security and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. The handbook adopts a comprehensive approach that recognizes the multidisciplinary nature of the public health workforce and its role in delivering the 12 EPHFs, including emergency preparedness and response. The publication outlines three interrelated action areas for workforce development: defining essential public health functions and services, strengthening competency-based education, and mapping and measuring occupations involved in delivering public health functions. It introduces technical tools and methodologies to support implementation, benchmarking and assessment of national capacities, and provides practical guidance for reviewing existing policies, identifying gaps and setting priorities. The handbook also describes how benchmarking findings can inform workforce strategies, health system planning and health security initiatives, enabling countries to build sustainable public health workforce capacity tailored to their specific contexts and needs.
This operational handbook supports country-led contextualization and implementation of the World Health Organization’s roadmap on national workforce capacity for essential public health functions (EPHFs). Developed in response to lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and broader public health challenges, it provides guidance for policy-makers, planners and educators on strengthening the public health workforce as a foundation for universal health coverage, health security and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals. The handbook adopts a comprehensive approach that recognizes the multidisciplinary nature of the public health workforce and its role in delivering the 12 EPHFs, including emergency preparedness and response. The publication outlines three interrelated action areas for workforce development: defining essential public health functions and services, strengthening competency-based education, and mapping and measuring occupations involved in delivering public health functions. It introduces technical tools and methodologies to support implementation, benchmarking and assessment of national capacities, and provides practical guidance for reviewing existing policies, identifying gaps and setting priorities. The handbook also describes how benchmarking findings can inform workforce strategies, health system planning and health security initiatives, enabling countries to build sustainable public health workforce capacity tailored to their specific contexts and needs.