The Asia Pacific Action Alliance on Human Resources for Health participated in the 4th Annual Conclave of the Global Learning Collaborative for Health System Resilience with the theme From Resilience Theory to Deployable Action held in New Delhi on March 24-25, 2026. The event organized by ACCESS Health International brought together policymakers, academicians and researchers to translate evidence, acting upon them and building resilient health systems as these stakeholders play an important role in the development of health policies. The pandemic and emerging diseases have instilled the importance of having a resilient health system that is able to sustain and manage disasters and any unforeseen event. Building upon this, the conference was an exchange of practical, implementable lessons drawn from country and sub-national experience.

The panel discussion AAAH participated was titled, “HRH4HSR: Do we need a national competency framework and reforms on continued professional education?”. Traditional training models emphasize hospital-based, curative care, whereas contemporary health systems require promotive, preventive, rehabilitative, palliative, and crisis-response capacities. This is aligned with AAAH’s work which has always advocated for a competent health workforce that is trained, skilled and sustainable, and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is an integral tool in enhancing skills and continuously updating knowledge of health workers.

The session had four speakers that brought together various perspectives including national, global and research aspects on the topic of discussion. They included Dr Wanicha Chuenkongkaew, Vice President at Praboromarajchanok Institute and Advisor at AAAH, Dr Krishna Reddy CEO of ACCESS Health International, Dr Neha Dahiya, Scientist at the Indian Council of Medical Research and Dr Priyanka Shreshtha, Junior Public Health Professional representing WHO SEARO.

The session deliberated on the Human Resources for Health (HRH) challenges focusing on the need for better competencies to build a fit-for-purpose, crisis ready health workforce. The speakers discussed and debated the importance of CPD, providing first an overview and then moving on to the functioning and its provision in countries. They deliberated on the role of governments and educational institutions in providing training and support to health professionals following the completion of their courses. They agreed that CPD has a lasting impact not only for their career development but also strengthening health systems. And in this regard policymakers should ensure that it is made available and mandatory to health workers, establishing a national framework that is robust, continuously evolving and reformed as per new research and guidelines. Digital tools must be leveraged and established so that CPD is available to all and can be accessed by health workers even from remote areas.
 

From left Dr Neha Dahiya, Dr Krishna Reddy, Dr Priyanka Shreshtha and Dr Wanicha Chuenkongkaew

Highlights from the discussion:
1. Learning & Research
      •    Continuous professional education must be a career-long approach.
      •    Research on medical education and competencies must be pursued and developed.

2. Holistic Competency Development
      •    To incorporate empathy, humanities and equity perspective in CPD frameworks.
      •    To have overall competencies in leadership, teamwork, communication, ability to work in a multicultural environment and administrative capacities.

3. Governance and Innovations
      •    Evaluate current policies on CPD and include transformative education policies that are innovative and sustainable.
      •    Establish competency framework that supports the overall health workforce development.
    

Way Forward: AAAH’s Recommendations
      •    Urge countries to establish competency frameworks for CPD that are specific to the various health professionals, supporting them throughout their careers.
      •    To do further research on transformative education and its impact on the health workforce.
      •    Urge policymakers and research organizations to leverage AI and technology to develop learning platforms so that CPD is made available and accessible to all. 
      •    To foster regional collaborations, cross country learnings and research on CPD models and transformative education reforms.