We ' re Missing Something in Health Worker Training

By Casey Bishopp, Communications officer, IntraHealth International Dr. Janet Muriuki addresses a group of attendees at SwitchPoint Shibuya. Photo courtesy of The Global Fund/Shugo Takemi.September 11, 2019The people who attend to us when we’re ill, injured, worried about our health, or scared for the well-being of our loved ones are face-to-face with conflict, end of life, and terminal illness. But are health students adequately prepared to work under such mental stress? According to Health economist and health policy analyst Dr. Akiko Maeda, these issues aren’t properly addressed in schools and in the design of health systems management.   “Health workers are people, too,” she said at IntraHealth’s side event at theTokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) last month.“They’re not just machines that churn out services—and they are under tremendous stress.”  I spoke to two medical doctors atSwitchPoint Shibuya to get their thoughts: IntraHealth’s Janet Muriuki, who provides technical leadership on our Human Resources for Health project in Kenya; and Zolelwa Sifumba, South African TB advocate and doctor at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital. What do you think people misunderstand about life as a health worker? Muriuki: It’s supposed to be a noble career—but these health workers are human;...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Mental Health Education & Performance Health Workers Source Type: news