Medical personnel shortage is the main threat to the modern worldwide healthcare system and one of the leading healthcare barriers. There are several reasons for this issue, including the aging and retirement of medical workers and their transition to higher-paid jobs. It leads to the remaining of their positions being vacant for a long time. In addition, most young people do not have a desire to devote their lives to medicine. In this regard, one can identify that an effective solution to this problem will be a system of rewards and motivation for medical staff.
Among the existing healthcare barriers, one of the most relevant is the shortage of medical personnel. For the record, this problem became especially acute during the Covid 19 pandemic. It is often the case that there are several patients per one nurse. Lack of qualified personnel leads to difficulties for people to receive normal medical services. In turn, this leads to an increase in mortality among the population. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 2021), a projected shortage of health workers will be 18 million by 2030, particularly in low- and lower-middle-income countries. It determines a modern and effective solution to this issue; otherwise, the regular provision of medical services may be under threat.
As it has been already noted, the main problem is doctors’ transition to other professions or the unwillingness of people to engage in medicine. Thereby, one should increase the motivation and incentive of future medical personnel. It is possible by introducing a modern system of monetary incentives and awards for medical staff. The number of prizes and incentives would directly depend on the complexity and rarity of the employee’s qualifications, years of service, and special merits. Such a system should be freely available so that everyone can see that one could gain good income on perspective. If engaging in the medical area would be followed by good work conditions and high salaries and bonuses, it would guarantee an influx of personnel.
Nowadays, the global health care system has also faced the problem of an aging population. Caitlin (2021) argues that increasing the population’s middle age level leads to new and complex care needs. In this context, the employee incentive system, which would exist in the form of a fund, could rectify the situation. Thus, the most important organizational resource would be financial support at the initial marketing stage. The main goal is to make as many people as possible informed about this program. People who donate to this fund become shareholders who will receive special bonuses in return. These can include tax relief, perks at work, discounts on goods, and so on. In addition, governments and other stakeholders could benefit from innovative solutions and technologies (Janya et al. 2019). Therefore, money from the fund can also be directed to the development of new technologies. It would improve the quality of working conditions in the medical field, which would benefit both employees and the fund’s external shareholders.
Since this program is related to medicine, shareholders with expertise in the medical area would be required. It is necessary to clearly define the geographic areas that will be most suitable for interaction with the fund. Similarly, one should identify the areas with the lowest numbers of young people admitted to the medical department. In such places, modern technologies financing would be to the point, increasing the number of future staff. For example, a special three-dimensional virtual world program which is designed to allow health care students to participate in interprofessional education (Ying et al. 2021). Such programs, created in areas with the least number of medical students, would make medicine more attractive and practical.
The primary strategy of attracting investments would be based on a clear and transparent structure of benefits and bonuses for shareholders. Depending on the type of investor’s activity, various offers can be as a bonus to the fund contributions. They could be a decrease in the tax rate for people in business, a discount on the purchase of raw materials for manufacturing companies, a discount on gasoline for freight companies, etc. For people engaged in international trading, one can decrease the rate for customs clearance of goods. Ordinary citizens can draw up a monthly deduction to the fund from their salaries, followed by an acceleration in their career growth and an increase in the premium level. The main mission is to make people who want to support and improve the health care system see their benefits.
Consequently, the shortage of medical personnel issue may become threatening in the future. The solution to this problem could be a new, clearly defined program of incentives and rewards for health workers. The expected result of the program is a significant influx of new staff. This program which would exist in the form of a fund, should work on the mutual benefit principle. Through such a foundation, each part of the program is interested in its development and acceleration. In turn, it would help to solve the problem of shortage of medical personnel quickly and efficiently.
References
Caitlin, H. (2021). Palliative space-time: Expanding and contracting geographies of US health care. Social Science & Medicine, 268 (113377).
Chanchaichujit, J., Tan, A., Meng, F., & Eaimkhong, S. (2019). Healthcare 4.0: Next Generation Processes with the Latest Technologies. Springer.
Liaw, Y. S., Choo, T., Wu, L. T., Lim, W. S., Choo, H., Lim, S. M., Choo, H., Lim, S. M., Ringsted, C., & Wong, L. F. (2021). Wow, woo, win”- Healthcare students’ and facilitators’ experiences of interprofessional simulation in three-dimensional virtual world: A qualitative evaluation study. Nurse Education Today, 105. (105018).
World Health Organization. (2021). Health workforce.