ABSTRACT
In one part of western Tanzania where one of the authors worked, there were approximately one medical doctor in two million people and one obstetrician in 6-7 million people. Decades ago, Tanzania and Mozambique, both in sub-Saharan Africa, the region most affected by the worldwide problem of lack of human resources for health had realized that they were already in crisis. Despite years of interventions to overcome the scarcity of doctors, the situation had become worse, presenting a major challenge for achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals. Africa has approximately 15% of the world’s population but bears over 24% of the global burden of disease with only 3% of the global health workforce of which a small percentage are surgeons. The Tanzanian government recognizes the importance of improving health care and expanding the supply of human resources, including professional midwives. It has committed itself to addressing the shortage of human resources for health, particularly a skilled health care workforce.
