ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the example of the Human Resources for African Primary Health Care (HURAPRIM) project, how primary care research can help tackle human resource issues from a systems perspective, focusing on brain drain, problems with access, need for optimisation of service delivery, importance of task-shifting and competency sharing. It focuses on social accountability and dissemination, extremely relevant for this type of research, and formulates a critical reflection on 'societal impact'. In 2011, the HURAPRIM project started looking at the challenge of recruitment, training and retention of human resources for African primary health-care (PHC). The chapter discusses the HURAPRIM project, explores the research questions and describes the different interventions as an illustration of how primary care research can contribute to the development of an appropriate health workforce for the health system. The Training for Health Equity Network also uses a systems perspective, looking at ways to increase social accountability and reorient educational programmes towards the needs of society.
