23rd of January 2025 11-1pm (GMT)
Introduction
The question of geography often comes up in health service delivery debate. Differences often exist between those living in urban and those living in rural, remote, and underserved settings, with those in the latter often having limited access to health services, increased needs, and consequentially worsened health outcomes. This geographical imbalance is apparent in the workforce too. Health workforce education institutions tend to be clustered around the larger urban centres, which has implications for workforce distribution and rural recruitment and retention in that people tend to work where they have studied and trained, and career opportunities also tend to be greater where specialist centres exist and where populations may be concentrated.
A key question is therefore how to attract, retain, protect, and safeguard the health and care workforce within rural and remote and underserved settings, while protecting individuals’ right to move and live where they choose. Related to this, is the question of ensuring that the workforce is effectively supported and employed where they are most needed.
Meet our Panel
Our Chair Jackline Kiarie
Jackline, MPH, is a public health leader and board member of the Pandemic Fund. She specializes in health systems strengthening with a focus on health workforce development across sub-Saharan Africa. As Director of Programmes at Amref Health Africa, she provides strategic leadership for health initiatives, collaborating with stakeholders like Africa CDC and Ministries of Health to implement innovative programs that enhance system resilience. A thought leader and award-winning innovator, she advances public health discourse as an editor with the Africa CDC Journal of Public Health in Africa and champions transformative solutions for equitable healthcare globally.
Dr Michelle McIsaac
Dr Michelle is an economist, health systems specialist and promoter of gender equality. She joined the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2016 and leads the Health Workforce Department’s agenda on gender equality, human rights and equity. Passionate about leaving no one behind Michelle led the development of the WHO Guideline on health workforce development, attraction, recruitment and retention in rural and remote areas. She provides technical support to governments and policy-makers around the world grappling with securing equitable access to health services for rural and remote populations.
Dr Anders Svensson
Dr Anders has worked as a family doctor and public health officer in rural Norway for 30 years. He is a specialist in both family medicine and public health. He currently working as a senior adviser/liason between the specialized care and primary health care, project leader of a project to improve recruitment and retention of doctors, and is also doing a research study about the importance of interns for recruitment in rural areas.
Dr. Samar Almutawakel
Dr Samar is a highly accomplished global health leader and an internationally recognized expert in humanitarian response at the World Health Organization (WHO). She is a passionate advocate for vulnerable communities, with a proven track record of strengthening emergency management and response capacities and responding to crises in the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa.
Dr Ivy Lynn Bourgeault
Dr Ivy is a Professor in the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies at the University of Ottawa and the University Research Chair in Gender, Diversity and the Professions. She is an internationally recognized expert on the professions in health care and academia, where she applies an intersectional gender perspective. Having grown up on a farm in rural Canada, where her family continues to live, she has a special interest in the sustainability of health care in rural and remote communities.