The composition and distribution of the health workforce

In this video, we looked at the composition and distribution of health workers and how they differ across countries. While looking at the adequacy of health workforce, it is important to not just focus on numbers and densities of health workers, but also the cadre-mix: the ratios between different cadres of health professionals and their distribution.

What kinds of systems level factors would influence the cadre-mix of health professionals in a particular setting and/or their distribution? For example, what might explain the much higher ratio of physicians to nurses in countries like Argentina and Chile? Or higher number of nurses and midwives compared to physicians in other countries? Use the comment box below to list a few system level influences.