The Comparative Recruitment of Medical Doctors Through the Health Workforce Allocation Optimization (WAO) Tool

HIV & AIDS, Leadership, Management, and Governance,
Technical Briefs & Case Studies

The Comparative Recruitment of Medical Doctors Through the Health Workforce Allocation Optimization (WAO) Tool

Funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and implemented by MSH, the Technical Support Services Project (TSSP) provided technical assistance to Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children (MOHCDGEC) on the application of the National Health Workforce Allocation Optimization (WAO) tool in the recruitment of medical doctors. The WAO tool is an electronic decision-making support system used to allocate health staff to health facilities. The tool uses an evidence-based approach and health indicators to drive health workforce allocation decisions. It is an electronic human resources for health recruitment system that enables candidates to submit online applications to vacant posts, and generates a short list of qualified candidates allocated based on predetermined health indicators and applicants’ preferences. Using the tool, the MOHCDGEC and other public health institutions were able to optimize allocation of Tanzania’s health workforce based on need and maximize employee satisfaction by deploying workers to their preferred working stations.