Project Timeline: July 2008-January 2011

Background:
Human resources play a critical role in delivering good health care, impacting access, governance, cost and the quality of care.  Even where financial resources may be mobilized relatively quickly, training and developing adequate human resources for health requires significant resources, time and planning.  In rural China, an inadequate supply of human resources for health has hindered equitable access to health care in rural China.  As in many other national health systems, human resources for health have not received sufficient attention.  In a context of rapid social and economic change, forward planning for human resources for health is essential if China is to establish a health workforce able to ensure an acceptable level of health care services, particularly for its rural population.
 
The Project
This project aims to provide empirical evidence on current and future health care needs as well as the quantity and quality of human resources for health in rural China.  In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other Chinese government organizations, the findings of this research will be used to influence policy decisions on the development of Chinese rural human resources for health and augment the health sector’s ability to meet the population’s changing health care needs.  Existing studies in China have not fully accounted for the effectiveness of human resources for health in meeting health care needs and contributing to dynamic changes in health.  As China is an important global player with a large population coverage, this analysis will generate important lessons, particularly for developing countries facing similar transitions and health care challenges.
 
The Project Objectives
The overall aim of this project is to provide the necessary evidence and analysis to help China identify an adequate, socially acceptable level of human resources to meet changing health care needs.  The evidence generated through this study will help determine future requirements for human resources for health and guide policy recommendations aimed at ensuring adequate provision of health care to meet the changing health care needs of rural Chinese residents.
 
Specifically this project aims to:
· Provide a landscape of the current state of human resources for health in rural China and analyze successes and challenges in rural health service provision.
· Project needs and demand for rural health care over the next 15 years.
· Disseminate research findings and recommend policies for strengthening the supply of human resources for health in order to meet rising and changing rural health care needs.
· Strengthen local capacity for cross-disciplinary research in economics and health by supporting a collaborative network of researchers.
 
Methodology
This research will comparatively analyze health care needs and demands, along with the supply of health care services and human resources for health.  Data on the state of rural health human resources will be collected through surveys, visits to local clinics and hospitals and quality assessments.  Special attention will be given to the human resources available for gender-specific services, particularly maternal health care which is essential for an equitable package of health care services.  Primary data and  secondary data from national administrative datasets will be used to estimate current health status, needs and demands.  Finally, the study will examine health determinants, behaviours and perceptions in order to estimate projected health care needs in rural China for a horizon of 15 years.

This research is designed as a collaborative project with two advisory panels of Chinese and international members.  The panel will provide expert consultation on the social determinants of health and health outcome assessment, demand assessment and utilization patterns, human resources for health and quality of health care provision, as well as projection modelling for health care demand and implications for the supply of human resources for health.
Expected Outcomes

This research project will assess current and projected health care needs, and the corresponding demand for human resources for health in rural China.  A report containing findings and policy recommendations will be shared with the Chinese Ministry of Health and other government agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Securities, Research results will be disseminated through workshops and conferences, and the project’s innovative approach to health human resources analysis will help inform similar studies and projects in China and internationally.
Project Contact:

For more information about the project, the participating institutions and researchers, please contact the project leader at the following address:
 
Dr. Minquan Liu
Center for Human and Economic Development Studies (CHEDS)
Room 530, Resource Building
Peking University
Haidian District, Beijing
PR China 100080 
Tel: + (86-10) 5887-6349
Fax: + (86-10) 5887-6343
Email: minquanliu@pku.edu.cn