Creation of an institutional framework for the development of a sectoral qualifications system in the field of health care through the formation of the Sectoral Council for Professional Qualifications: Policy Brief

Abstract

Abstract / Key messages

What is the problem?

• Lack of a permanent body for the coordination and development of the sectoral qualifications system (SQS) in the healthcare system of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
• Lack of the SQS’s expert community, expert and analytical structures for the development of professional qualifications in the field of healthcare;
• Decisions (that are made in matters of the SQS development) are often based on the opinion of individuals and do not have a sufficient evidence base and agreement with the professional community;
• Lack of systematic information on the state and development of USC in the field of health care;
• Formation of the basic elements of the sectoral qualifications system (sectoral qualifications framework (SQF) and professional standards (PS)) is carried out on the basis of the implementation of single ("one-off") projects, without further regular updating and support for further implementation of these documents.

Policy options

• Option 1. Creation of the Sectoral Council for Professional Qualifications in Healthcare (SСPQ) by:
• Adoption of an appropriate normative act on the establishment of the Council for Professional Qualifications with the inclusion of all interested parties (representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, associations of employers, workers, educational organizations, organizations for assessing professional qualifications, etc.)
• Anchoring in the Regulation of the SСPQ and other normative acts and regulations of the role and powers of the SСPQ in the development of the SQS (monitoring the development of the SQS and evidence-informed policymaking in the field of qualifications, developing and updating, introducing and evaluating the effectiveness of using the SQF and PS);
• Determination of the SСPQ working body responsible for the methodological and organizational support of the SСPQ work, allocating funding to support the SСPQ activities and conducting research and development in the field of the SQS;
• Development of a Strategy and a Roadmap for the progress of the SQS in the field of health, defining the priority directions and mechanisms for the SQS development, quality assurance and regulation of the qualifications market with the involvement of all stakeholders.
• Option 2. Formation of the expert community of the sectoral qualifications system in the context of all specialties and specializations in the field of health care, by:
• Development and launch of standardized modular courses for training experts on the development of SQS;
• Training and formation of the register of experts on the SQS development in the context of all specialties and specializations in the field of health care;
• Creation of committees for professional qualifications in key specialties at the SCPQ, including the most experienced and authoritative specialists in the relevant specialty.
• Option 3. Ensuring transparency and accessibility for all stakeholders of information on the state and development of the SQS by:
• Launch of a single on-line resource about the SQS in the field of health care (administered by the SCPQ working body);
• Developing the SCPQ and its health working body as a Knowledge Translation Platform for professional qualifications in health policy making;
• Introduction of the practice of regular (annually or once every two years) publication of a report on the state of the SQS in the field of health care;
• Conducting forums on a regular basis and organizing dialogue platforms on the development of the SQS;
• Establishing close interaction and dialogue between the SCPQ in the field of health care and the SCPQ of other sectors, whose specialists contribute to the formation of public health.

Vision for implementing policy options

In assessing the feasibility of implementing the proposed policy options, taking into account the existing barriers and opportunities, we conclude that all three policy options complement each other. However, given the differences in options in the focus of action, the resources and methods used, a more significant achievement of the goal of creating an institutional basis for the development of SQS in the health sector can be achieved by these policy options when they are combined.