Young health workers unaware of policies in their field, report shows

Study shows systemic barriers begin in the classroom and follow young professionals into the workplace /FILE

Young health workers in Kenya feel confident in their technical abilities, yet they lack critical leadership and networking skills.

They are also almost entirely excluded from policy decisions that shape their working lives, a new report shows.

The study, conducted by Amref International University under the Africa Health Collaborative surveyed more than 1,600 final-year students and early-career professionals across the Nairobi metropolis and Nakuru county.

The findings published on April 2, show that only 221 respondents—just 13.7 per cent—had ever participated in any health-related policy development.

“Many young people lack knowledge about the policy-making process and the existence of specific policies,” the report says.

“Consequently, their participation is often dependent on the relevance of the policy to their immediate concerns.”

The findings come against a continental backdrop where Africa carries 24 per cent of the global disease burden but has only three per cent of the global health workforce.

With 60 per cent of the continent’s population under 25, the potential to build a robust health workforce is immense, yet the study reveals systemic barriers that begin in the classroom and follow young professionals into the workplace.

While approximately 92 per cent of Kenyan respondents rated their technical skills as competent or higher, academic leaders and employers cited significant gaps in practical experience.

Curricula were described as outdated, overly theoretical and failing to address emerging diseases or technological advances.

The implications are most acute for young women and youth with disabilities with the report noting that policies promoting equal opportunities for women in employment, training, leadership and entrepreneurship exist but remain inconsistently implemented and underfunded.

"Meaningful participation is essential for building equitable, sustainable and resilient health systems that meet current and future needs," the report states.

In Zambia and Senegal, similar patterns emerge, with young people facing "rigid recruitment policies" and "complex authorisation procedures" that keep them away from the workforce even as shortages reach critical levels.

For young people with disabilities, the situation is even worse.

“Policies and regulations that address the needs of people with disabilities are lacking, specifically for young people.”

Additionally, suitable business models such as telemedicine and small-scale manufacturing of assistive devices remain out of reach without targeted policy and financial support.

Barriers to retention included poor remuneration, dilapidated buildings, lack of equipment, insecurity and limited career development opportunities.

One respondent described delayed pay, lack of job security and government policies as significant obstacles.

Despite these challenges, the study identified scalable opportunities in mobile health, telemedicine, home-based care,and innovations addressing non-communicable diseases.

However, more than half of respondents lacked confidence in core business skills such as fundraising, product development and marketing.

The Africa Health Collaborative—a partnership bringing together the Mastercard Foundation, Amref Health Africa and eight universities including Addis Ababa University and the University of Cape Town—aims to train 30,000 primary health care workers, support 5,000 ventures and create 20,000 jobs as part of a strategy to enable 30 million young people across Africa to access dignified work by 2030.

But even the most well-intentioned investments risk falling short without urgent reforms to include young people in policymaking, the report warns.