Cocreation in Health Workforce Planning to Shape the Future of the Health Care System in the Philippines

Cocreation in health workforce planning in the Philippines led to relationship building between policy makers and researchers who jointly identified solutions to address challenges in the health care system. Key Messages The COVID-19 pandemic presented strategic opportunities to strengthen national health workforce planning to shape future health care systems that are responsive both during normal times and during crises. We describe our health workforce planning process based on a cocreation model that built a relationship between researchers and policy makers to coproduce recommendations to strengthen primary care and advance universal health coverage in the Philippines. We applied 2 approaches to project the future supply of 10 selected health professions and estimated the demand for primary care services at national and subnational levels; our analysis provided spaces for policy recommendations on issues related to health workforce quantity, skill mix, and distribution. Key Implication Lessons from our experience may guide policy makers, program managers, and researchers in low- and middle-income countries as they navigate the challenges in their health workforce through cocreation where the research addresses policy-relevant questions and the resulting policy is informed by the research evidence. ABSTRACT Background: The Philippines passed landmark legislation in 2019 on universal health coverage, including reforms in the development of its health workforce, an essential building block of responsive health care systems. Health Workforce Planning Cocreation Process: We based our planning process on a model of cocreation defined as sharing power and decision making to solve problems collaboratively and build consensus around action. Through cocreation with policy makers, researchers, and other stakeholders, we performed projection studies on 10 selected health professions and estimated the need for primary care at national and subnational levels, which was the most extensive health workforce projection carried out by the Philippine Department of Health to date. We determined health workforce requirements based on target densities recommended by the World Health Organization and a health needs approach that considered epidemiological and sociodemographic factors. In consultation with stakeholders, we interpreted our analysis to guide recommendations to address issues related to health workforce quantity, skill mix, and distribution. These included a broad range of proposals, including task shifting, expanding scholarships and deployment, reforming health professionals’ education, and pursuing a whole-of-society approach, which together informed the National Human Resources for Health Master Plan. Conclusions: Our cocreation model offers lessons for policy makers, program managers, and researchers in low- and middle-income countries who deal with health workforce challenges. Cocreation led to relationship building between policy makers and researchers who jointly performed the research and identified solutions through open communication and agile coordination. To shape future health care systems that are responsive both during normal times and during crises, cocreation would be essential for evidence-informed policy development and policy-relevant research.