Regional meeting highlights progress in health workforce information systems across the Americas

Washington, D.C., 29 May 2026 (PAHO) - Representatives from 27 countries across the Region of the Americas participated in the Second Regional Virtual Meeting for Strengthening Human Resources for Health Information Systems (HRHIS), organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to continue advancing the strategic use of information for health workforce planning and management.

The meeting brought together more than 70 participants and built on the regional process initiated during the in-person meeting held in Panama in 2023, as well as the first virtual meeting conducted in 2025. Throughout the meeting, countries shared progress, challenges, and experiences aimed at improving governance, interoperability, and the use of data for decision-making in health.

"Strengthening Human Resources for Health Information Systems is not an end in itself, but rather a key tool for transforming data into useful evidence for public policy development and health workforce planning," said Benjamín Puertas, unit chief, Human Resources for Health at PAHO, during the opening session. "To achieve this, it is essential to overcome information fragmentation, improve data quality, and ensure that information effectively reaches the spaces where decisions are made," he added.

Throughout the meeting, participants highlighted regional progress, including the consolidation of agreements on priority indicators, the development of methodological tools to support countries, and the process underway to prepare the second regional report on the health workforce, which will be published in 2027. To this end, the collaboration of all countries involved was requested in contributing and validating data, as well as in sharing good practices related to Human Resources Information Systems.

One of the meeting's main contributions was the experience presented by Panama on stakeholder mapping and the progressive integration of information sources, considered a good practice for strengthening governance of national systems. The experience helped identify mechanisms to improve coordination among institutions and advance toward common information standards.

Participants also reviewed preliminary findings from a regional assessment of initiatives related to the management and strategic use of human resources for health information. The analysis showed important progress, although gaps remain in areas such as health workforce migration, private sector information, and working conditions.

Another key topic discussed during the meeting was the articulation between information systems and the monitoring of the Policy on the Health Workforce 2030. In this context, the use of National Health Workforce Accounts was highlighted as a key tool for strengthening data quality and avoiding duplication in reporting processes.

As part of the agreements reached, participants reaffirmed the importance of continuing to promote the exchange of experiences among countries, strengthening regional technical cooperation, and progressively advancing the integration and effective use of information to support decision-making and strengthen health systems.