History

The Zambia UK Health Workforce Alliance was envisioned by Lord Crisp, an independent member of the House of Lords and former Chief Executive of the NHS and Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health in England, and Dr Simon Miti, former Permanent Secretary of the Zambia Ministry of Health, and his successor Dr Velepi Mtonga, in 2008.

The Alliance aims to address together the requests by some African health and education leaders for support to train and educate the extra 1.5 million more health workers needed to achieve the health related Millennium Development Goals and the overwhelming willingness within the UK health sector to contribute towards health workforce training in Africa; by focussing in Zambia in the first intance.

In August 2008 Lord Crisp sent a survey to a number of health and education leaders in Africa and the UK asking them whether the UK should and could strengthen, develop and coordinate its support for health workforce training in Africa. The survey response was unanimously positive. Respondents, however, highlighted the need for much better coordination of different initiatives in similar areas or in the same countries in Africa to deliver maximum impact.

Over the following months these findings were discussed with a large number of people in Africa and the UK including government departments, leaders of both health services providers, private and public, and health training institutions, professional associations and Royal Colleges, international NGOs and various individuals.

The Zambian Ministry of Health leadership had over the last few years explored how UK support could be used to help Zambian health institutions deliver the national health plan. The training and education of more health workers is a national priority and there exist strong links between Zambia and the UK in health and other areas.

The Zambia UK Health Workforce Alliance is the outcome of all these consultations.
In 2009, the UK Department for International Development and the Department of Health in England have provided funding to undertake a feasibility study, prepare a plan for action that was subsequently discussed

We hope that the Alliance will serve as a proof of concept for the expansion of similar initiatives in other countries.