Evaluation of the Pan American Health Organization’s technical cooperation on the health workforce in the Region of the Americas: Final report

Overview

The report 'Evaluation of the Pan American Health Organization’s technical cooperation on the health workforce in the Region of the Americas' assesses the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of this technical cooperation during the period 2018–2024. The evaluation examines the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) contribution to strengthening health workforce governance, planning, education, regulation, migration, and emergency preparedness across the Region. Conducted by an independent external evaluation team using a mixed-methods and theory-based approach, the evaluation combined document review, stakeholder interviews, an online survey, and country case studies in Brazil, Guatemala, and Guyana. The evaluation also incorporated cross-cutting perspectives related to gender, equity, interculturality, disability, and human rights. The report identifies key achievements, challenges, lessons learned, and opportunities for strengthening the support that PAHO provides to Member States for addressing persistent and emerging health workforce challenges. It also presents evidence-based recommendations aimed at enhancing implementation support, strengthening governance and workforce planning systems, expanding education and lifelong learning opportunities, addressing workforce migration, and improving preparedness for future health emergencies. Essential reading for policymakers, health leaders, and workforce stakeholders, this report underscores the central role of the health workforce in building resilient health systems and achieving universal health coverage, while offering recommendations to strengthen governance, planning, education, and technical cooperation across the Americas.