1. AAAH
The Asia-Pacific Action Alliance on Human Resources
for Health (AAAH) is a regional partnership mechanism
established in response to the region countries. AAAH
is recognition of the direct need for global and regional
actions to strengthen country capacity for health workforce,
planning and management. As of January 2007, it has
15 members including Bangladesh,
Cambodia,
China,
Fiji,
India,
Indonesia,
Lao
PDR, Myanmar,
Nepal,
Papua
New Guinea, Philippines,
Samoa,
Sri
Lanka, Thailand,
and Vietnam.
There are 5 priority actions for the first two years
including: HRH advocacy, information monitoring, capacity
strengthening, knowledge generation, and technical coordination.
AAAH is managed by a team of Secretariat under guidance
of the Steering Committee. At a country level, a focal
point of each country acts as a coordinator between
the AAAH and agencies within country.
1.1 Vision
“Strengthened HRH planning and management capacity
toward adequate, equitable, efficient and effective
HRH and health systems for health equity and equality
improvement in the Asia-Pacific region”
1.2 Mission
“To generate and collate necessary evidence for
effective human resources planning and management; To
develop the capacity within the region under a broader
framework of overall health systems strengthening; To
increase access to effective health services, particularly
for the poor, and To enable accelerated progress towards
the Millennium Development Goals”
1.3 Objectives
•
To review regional HRH situation and to advocate actions
for HRH priority and health systems related HRH strategic
plan and policy at country level, particularly in relation
to health related crisis
•
To coordinate HRH knowledge generation, management and
sharing
•
To work as information clearing house for regional HRH
monitoring and to support HRH information system strengthening
at country level
•
To coordinate and assist countries on capacity building
for HRH management
•
To coordinate and identify regional HRH expertise and
to mobilize resources for HRH technical supports as
requested by the countries.
1.4 Priority Actions
The five key actions to be implemented as follows:
•
Advocacy for HRH at regional and country levels;
•
Information monitoring and HRH information system strengthening;
•
Knowledge generation, management and sharing;
•
Capacity building in member countries;
•
Technical support
2. AAAH Structure
2.1 AAAH
Steering Committee
Steering Committee of AAAH is established in order to
oversee all the activities of AAAH. The committee is
light, flexible, inclusive and nonbureaucratic. The
Members of the Steering Committee are experts of HRH
management, research and policy development, with regional
vision. They should be enthusiastic and actively involve
in the process of HRH management, research and policy
development, as well as have established good relationship
with government sectors, international organizations
and funding agencies.
2.1.1
Composition: Members should be from eight AAAH
member countries (4 from Southeast Asia Region and 4
from Western Pacific Region), WHO regional offices (1
each from SEARO and WPRO), and 2 international organization
agencies. The total number of members should not be
more than 12. One of the four members from Western Pacific
Region should be from a pacific island country.
2.1.2
Operation: AAAH Steering Committee is established
to support AAAH related activities. Steering Committee
Members are expected be in close contact with other
committee members. The Committee will meet on a regular
basis (once every three months) via teleconference and
one face to face meeting per year.
2.1.3
Chair: Recommendations for chair-elect are
sought from the Steering Committee Members. The Chair
is responsible for guiding the Committee Members, Secretariat,
and Country Focal Points to achieve their responsible
duties. The term of the Chair is 2 years with a maximum
of 2 terms. It started at the 1st Conference in October
2006. The next Chair will be elected in the 3rd AAAH
Conference at the end of 2008.
2.1.4
Steering Committee Membership:
•
The selection of the 8 country members of the Steering
Committee will be decided by the Steering Committee.
The composition of the Steering Committee could be a
composition of active partners from Ministry of Health,
civil society, and academic institutes. They should
be knowledgeable in human resources for health and be
able to provide guidance for conducting AAAH works.
Membership of members from countries will be on a rotation
basis of a two-year period. After 2 years, 4 members
(2 from each region) will be replaced, and on the subsequent
year 4 other members will be replaced.
•
Members from WHO Regional Offices are to be proposed
by the respective offices. Membership will be indefinite,
however, the Regional Offices may propose a change of
representatives on the Committee by writing to the Chair
at any appropriate time.
•
Members from other development partners will be invited
based on their institutional interest and commitment
on human resources for health. Membership will be 2
years and renewable if agreed by the Steering Committee.
2.2 Secretariat
The Secretariat is an administrative component of the
AAAH. The Secretariat is responsible for facilitating
functions of the Steering Committee and coordinating
and providing supports to AAAH member countries.
2.2.1
Composition: A Secretariat is composed of 3-4
staff members - A ‘coordinator’ heads the
secretariat, one assistant coordinator, and one project
manager. Two members are working on a full-time basis
and other two could be part-time or full time depending
on the workload. The secretariat is currently based
at the International Health Policy Program Foundation
(IHPP), Bangkok, Thailand and can be decided otherwise
by the Steering Committee.
2.2.2
Operation: The secretariat could be contracted
to an entity after the approval by the Steering Committee.
It could be based in Thailand or other country. The
Secretariat reports directly to the Steering Committee.
2.2.3
The AAAH Coordinator: is selected by a subgroup
of the AAAH Steering Committee. The Coordinator is responsible
for leading the coordination between the Steering Committee,
country focal points, development partners, and other
partners as well as other relevant duties need to be
carried out in order to achieve the AAAH Workplan. The
subgroup for coordinator selection will comprise of
the Steering Committee Chair and two steering committee
members as agreed by the Steering Committee. The current
subgroup consists of Thailand (chair), India (PHFI),
Fiji (MOH).
2.2.4
Secretariat Staff: are selected by the Coordinator,
under policies and procedures approved by the chair.
2.2.5
Responsibilities: Secretariat Members will
undertake the following functions, based on activities
provided in the AAAH Workplan: 1. To develop the annual
workplan and the budget; 2. To coordinate activities
as specified in the approved workplan; 3. To prepare
meeting agendas, materials and relevant documents; 4.
To contact the focal points at the member countries
to call the meeting, coordinate and monitor the activities;
5. To maintain AAAH website, to collect data and documents
from member countries and set up the observatory of
HRH in the Asia- Pacific Region; 6. To distribute documents
approved by the Steering Committee among member countries
and partners; 7. To provide logistics services to the
Steering Committee and the participants of all AAAH
meetings; 8. To coordinate multi-country HRH studies;
9. To mobilize technical assistants to help member countries
building capacity on HRH management; 10. To organize
teleconferences and meetings; 11. To disseminate findings
generated from activities under AAAH.
2.3 AAAH Member
Countries
2.3.1
Composition: The AAAH currently has 15 members
in 2007. Members should be fully committed in development
of human resources for health in their countries as
appropriate. They should also be enthusiastic and actively
involved in AAAH activities.
2.3.2
Criteria: Apart from the current members, additional
members can be accepted in the future. Membership is
by country, not for any individual organization. The
general criteria for interested countries are:
•
A country is fully committed for human resource for
health development
•
An interested country should at least attend one AAAH
conference as an observer in order to experience the
ongoing function of the AAAH
•
A representing organization of the interested country
should have capacity to coordinate with other sectors
at the national level so that the view expressed represents
the country not any particular individual organization.
An interested country may express an interest of being
a AAAH member country in writing to the AAAH Coordinator
who will propose it to the Steering Committee for consideration
and approval.
2.4 Country
Focal Points
A Country Focal Point will act as a country coordinator,
who is required to establish mechanisms for coordination
with relevant stakeholders to implement country activities,
dissemination information received from the AAAH and
other relevant sources. The person nominated as focal
point should be the participant of AAAH conference,
and is actively involved in human resources for health
development in the country.
2.4.1
Criteria for Country Focal Point: Once a country
focal point is nominated, the person needs to actively
involve in the AAAH activities. The following criteria
will be used to review whether the country focal point
for a particular country will be retained.
•
Active in communication and being a focal person between
the AAAH secretariat and partners within the country.
•
Active in communication and coordination with multi-partners
within the country
•
Active in mobilization of additional resources to support
AAAH country activities In addition, feedback from partners
within countries may be sought.