title: The contribution of the polio eradication initiative to narrowing the gaps in the health workforce in the African Region.
abstract: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) massively invested to overcome the crippling disease in countries of the WHO African Region. In the context of economic crisis, almost all countries in the Region lack an adequate health workforce. Large amounts were invested by GPEI in human resources. This paper shows how the human resources funded by polio contributed to narrowing the gaps in health workforce and helped strengthening and supporting other priority health programmes in Angola, Chad, DRC, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Togo.
  
  
  
  The health workforce strengthening methods used in the five different countries included the following: policy development and strategic planning, microplanning, capacity building of public health and community workers, implementation and services, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy and social mobilization, and programme review.
  
  
  
  Staff funded by polio helped with achieving good coverage in vitamin A and insecticide-treated mosquito nets (Angola, Chad); improvement of EPI and integrated disease surveillance indicators, improved quality of data (all five countries), administrative support, smooth introduction of new vaccines, increased case detection, and early isolation of patients suffering from the Guinea worm (Chad); reduction of cholera, extension of directly observed TB short course treatment (Democratic Republic of Congo); significant staff performance improvement (Nigeria).
  
  
  
  GPEI investment achieved far beyond its primary goal, and contributed to narrowing the gaps in the health workforce in countries of the African Region, as demonstrated by the best practice documentation exercise. We recommend that expertise and experience of polio funded staff should be leveraged to strengthen, expand and support other public health programmes.
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Country Representative Office, Ndjamena, Chad.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kamso
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Intercountry Support Office, Libreville, Gabon.
authors.forename: Eddy S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Mvika
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo. Electronic address: otama@who.int.
authors.forename: M O C
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ota
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Okeibunor
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mkanda
authors.affiliation: World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mihigo
mesh_terms: D057191:Capacity Building; D002596:Chad / Q000453:epidemiology; D060740:Disease Eradication / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014943:Global Health; D006280:Health Workforce; D006801:Humans; D017589:Immunization Programs; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011051:Poliomyelitis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013192:Staff Development / Q000191:economics; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014037:Togo / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Expanding; Gaps; Global Polio Eradication Initiative; Health workforce; Narrowing; Strengthening