Human Resources for Health (HRH)

This course provides knowledge and skills that health care managers, policy makers and planners need for human resource planning and management. It discusses policies, strategies and practices at a national and workplace level to address health workforce issues.

This course is tropEd accredited and can be followed as a stand-alone course or as part of the Master in International Health or Master of Public Health programmes.

Start
12/02/2024
Duration
2 weeks
Location
KIT, Amsterdam
EC
3
Language
English
Course period
from 12/02/2024 until 23/02/2024
Course fee (2024)
EUR 1.840
Discounts for alumni and more
Learn more about our discounts
KIT application deadline funding (2024)
12/12/2023
Contact
courses@kit.nl

“ I am Akina Shrestha working as a Public Health Manager in Dhulikhel Hospital-Kathmandu University Hospital in Nepal. I attended the International Course on Health Development, Masters of Public Health from Royal Tropical Institute. By attending the course in KIT on Human Resource for Health, now I am being able to manage nearly 73 medical, paramedic and non technical staff in my organization. The knowledge acquired helped me to regularly motivate my staff for working better and achieving best health outcome during the service in rural part of Nepal.”

Akina Shrestha from Nepal, followed the HRH course as part of the MPH. Now working as Public Health Managemer in Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu.

“Although I am a health manager by profession for many years, during this module I learned the importance of knowing different cultures within organisations. Also the different beliefs of employees with diverse backgrounds are really important. In Africa this module helped me a lot to overcome issues with colleagues.”

Fried Lammerink from the Netherlands, followed the HRH course as part of the MPH/ICHD. Educational background: Nursing & Management.  Worked as Policy Advisor Government of Lesotho and will start to work as organisational development advisor in Cambodia.

“In our time, organizations and technology are evolving so rapidly that health care professionals must continually seek new skills and perspectives that enable them not only to respond to change, but also to anticipate it. And this is exactly what we were trained in KIT. Besides these academic competencies that are making a lot of difference in what I do now, staying and studying in Amsterdam also had positive effects in many ways; the principles of “equal opportunity for all people, irrespective of gender, age, race or religion” were visible in all aspects of the Dutch life.”

John Kingsley Krugu from Ghana, MPH/ICHD 2010, background in biological sciences, now PHD Research Fellow at Maastricht University.

Content

How can policy makers and  managers improve the performance of the health workforce? How does one plan human resources? How can organisational development contribute to the performance of health workers?

The quality of health service delivery depends largely on the availability and performance of qualified personnel, aided by sufficient facilities, equipment and drugs. Policy makers and managers can influence the performance of health workers by using carefully formulated and implemented human resources for health policies and strategies developed in consultation with stakeholders. In order to enhance workforce performance, policy makers and managers also need to be able to analyse organisational culture and behaviour and to identify appropriate leadership skills.

This course addresses the knowledge and skills that policy makers and managers need for human resource planning and management. It provides an overview of the situation of Human Resources for Health (HRH) from a global perspective and subsequently discusses policies, strategies and practices at a national level and at the workplace to address health workforce issues. Topics include rational planning, training, governance and gender, performance retention and motivation and, leadership and organisational change.

Objectives

At the end of the module the participants should be able to:

  • explain the concept of Human Resources in the health sector
  • analyse and discuss the various issues in human resources in the health sector
  • discuss different strategies to assure sufficient and qualified staff are equitably distributed
  • critically appraise staff performance, identify performance problems and suggest appropriate solutions
  • critically assess training programs for health care workers and provide appropriate recommendations for improvement
  • analyse organisational behaviour and discuss strategic options and leadership styles for change
  • Content

  • Introduction to HRH
  • Strategic planning of HRH
  • Workload
  • Retention, motivation and performance of health workers
  • Governance and HRH, including migration
  • Addressing gender and rights in HRH policies and plans
  • Training
  • Leadership and organisational change
  • Application

    Admission criteria

  • Academic training or a professional qualification in a relevant field
  • Work experience in a related area, including experience in management or planning in developing countries
  • Proficiency in spoken and written English
  • Application procedure

    The application package is due two months before the start of the course.

    Please upload your application online. The following documents should be uploaded:

  • A one-page letter of motivation
  • Copies of your diplomas and grade reports
  • An up-to-date curriculum vitae and a list of publications if applicable
  • What we expect from your motivation letter:
    Please indicate in your motivation letter why you want to follow this specific course, why you want to follow the course at KIT Amsterdam, what do you expect to learn and how you will apply your newly gained competencies from the course in your work, what kind of benefits will it bring to your future career, etc. Describe a relevant problem you have experienced in the last two years that you would like to discuss during this specific course. Your motivation should be about ½-1 page. Please do not repeat your CV again.

    This course can be taken on its own, or as advanced module of the Master of Public Health (MPH)  or Master in International Health (MIH) programme.

    FAQ Online Application System

    Do you have a question about our Online Application System? Then you can find the answer in our FAQ Online Application System:

    Go to our FAQ Online Application System-page 

    Discounts and Fees

    We offer discounts for alumni and groups for this course. See below the discounts and fees the course Human Resources for Health. See for more information about our discounts for groups and other short courses on our exclusive discount page.

    Regular course fee€1.840,-Start date: 12-2-2024
    Alumni discount€1.472,-

    Practical information

    Location

    Classes are held at KIT’s training facilities in Amsterdam.

    Accommodation

    There is a severe shortage of student accommodation in Amsterdam and participants are advised to contact KIT for information. KIT will endeavour to assist participants in their search for housing.

    Visa requirements

    Citizens of most EU or European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries do not need a visa to enter the Netherlands. Visit the Nuffic website for the latest information on visa requirements.

    Participants from other countries must obtain a short-stay visa (for up to three months) through the Netherlands embassy or consulate covering the applicant’s country. Applicants will need a letter of admission to the course and proof of sponsorship or sufficient funds to cover the course fee, travel and accommodation costs. Applicants should take into account that in some countries this procedure can take several months.

    Insurance requirements

    Course participants and accompanying dependents are required by Dutch law to have health, accident and third party insurance. Unless their current insurance policy covers their stay abroad, participants must insure themselves and their dependents in the Netherlands. Dutch insurance companies offer reasonable rates to foreign students.

    Funding

    The arrangement of financial support to cover all study costs is the responsibility of the applicant. KIT does not offer financial support or fellowships.

    Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP)

    Unfortunately the OKP programme has ended. For 2024 there are no scholarship rounds. 
    Read more on the OKP page.

    European Credit

    The European Credit Transfer System (EC) facilitates the transfer of course credits between different institutions of the same academic level. A course comprising 28 hours of formal teaching and private study is equivalent to one EC credit point.

    Accreditation

    This course is also accredited for the Master in International Health programme organised by tropEd, a network of European institutions for higher education in international health.

    Apply online

    Apply online

    You can find all information about the online application system on this page

    Apply online now!

    Why study at KIT?

    • Up-to-date approach to complex public health issues

    • Practice-oriented

    • Exchange between disciplines

    • Interactive Education

    • Development of personal and professional competencies

    • Network building

    • Participants from diverse backgrounds and countries

    • Personal tutoring

    • Teaching by highly qualified specialists

    • Positively reviewed by tropEd

    • KIT: international centre of excellence in international health and development

    • Accredited by NVAO

    Coordinators & Support

    Photo of Rinia Sahebdin

    Rinia Sahebdin

    Course Administration Officer

    Read more