Health human resource reform in Tajikistan: part of a masterplan for change.

Like many countries of the former Soviet Union, the Republic of Tajikistan inherited a poorly paid physician workforce dominated by specialists. This Central Asian republic has been forced to move slowly to change the physician workforce and to implement primary health care. Several years of civil war following independence in 1991 made reform of the struggling health system politically and economically difficult. The civil war also resulted in a loss of health personnel, with significant numbers of physicians leaving the country. The low pay of health professionals caused others to move to higher paying jobs in non-health related professions. A comprehensive masterplan for the reform of the health care system that has been developed through a participatory process is in the process of formal approval. The human resources component of the health care reform masterplan calls for a shift to emphasize the role of primary health care and the introduction of family physicians (FPs) as the cornerstone of the primary health care. With only 90 family practice physicians trained in 2000, the country faces a massive task in retraining existing physicians and training new FPs. The first 40 medical students to enter training as FPs are scheduled for 2001. Retraining at the Post Graduate Institute will be supplemented in 2002 by programs in the three oblasts. To overcome the shortage of FPs a comprehensive job analysis and workload assessment will be conducted to redefine the role of health professionals and involve others in the provision of care. Historically nurses have not been allowed to perform to their full capability and physicians have performed tasks more suitable for mid-level personnel. A strategy to solve maldistribution problems and to develop incentives to stem the loss of physicians will be also implemented. While circumstances have forced the Republic of Tajikistan to move slower than other countries to reform the inefficient health system inherited from the Soviet Union, the current masterplan for the entire system shows a commitment to change. The Masterplan, along with lessons from what has occurred in other countries, provide an opportunity for a well-ordered reform of health human resources within the overall context of health system reform.