(MENAFN- Caribbean News Global) WASHINGTON, USA, (PAHO) – More than 100 participants from 26 countries of the Americas took part in the“Regional Virtual Meeting on Strengthening Human Resources for Health Information Systems (HRHIS),” a space convened to promote technical exchange, identify challenges, and guide regional priorities on strategic data related to the health workforce.

“Strengthening information systems is a collective effort; when countries share data, experiences, and solutions, the Region moves toward more resilient health systems, better prepared to face current and future challenges,” said Yohana Díaz del Valle, advisor, professional education in human resources for health at PAHO.

The meeting aimed to strengthen countries' capacities to improve the availability, quality, standardisation, and interoperability of data on human resources for health-essential for guiding planning, evidence-based decision-making, and policy monitoring in a context of increasing complexity for health systems in the region.

During the meeting, participants reviewed regional progress since 2023, identifying persistent gaps and critical areas to incorporate new topics and perspectives into the next regional report, ensuring its relevance and forward-looking approach.

Key issues discussed included data quality and availability, the persistent information gap, lack of interoperability among systems, the need for more robust evidence-informed planning, and challenges in integrating emerging technologies-including artificial intelligence-into data management and analysis processes. Concerns were also raised about the lack of data on working conditions in various contexts, a factor that directly impacts health workforce retention and well-being. Delegations from Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Costa Rica, and the Andean Health Organization (ORAS, in Spanish) presented their national and subregional experiences, enriching the dialogue on progress and persistent challenges in HRHIS.

To facilitate continuity and promote sustained technical exchange, PAHO made available to the countries the HRHIS Community of Practice on the Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH). This space will enable sharing of normative documents, policies, experiences, and relevant technical resources, contributing to the development of the next regional report.

The meeting was organised by PAHO's Human Resources for Health Unit within the Department of Health Systems and Services and follows up on work initiated in 2023, when countries agreed to move toward a set of regional core HRH indicators-a key input for the report“The Health Workforce in the Americas: Data and Regional Indicators.”

The post Countries of the Americas advance in strengthening human resources for health information systems appeared first on Caribbean News Global.

MENAFN22112025000232011072ID1110382661