Governance and human resources for health

Although efforts to address shortage and performance of Human Resources for Health (HRH) have accelerated over recent years, HRH problems continue to hamper the goal of quality service delivery [1]. Currently, fifty-seven countries face a critical workforce shortage and many more countries are not able to provide quality care to their population because of workforce problems [2]. Why is there little progress in addressing the HRH crisis?Is governance the elephant in the room of HRH? Do we prefer not to mention it? Or do we have the different parts in our hands but are not able to assemble it to make it work for better results? We believe that the influence of governance is undervalued in the debate on the HRH crisis, both globally and at country level. This thematic series of the HRH journal aims to expand the evidence base on the role of improving governance in addressing the HRH crisis.Six articles on governance in HRH have been brought together for this series: a review of published case studies on HRH and governance [3]; a case study on HRH policy formulation and implementation in post-conflict Liberia [4]; a commentary on opportunities for HRH policy in meeting population needs in a decentralized setting in Mali [5]; monitoring HRH and the use of a Human Resources Information Systems from a regional perspective [6]; a case study on Human Resources Management in a decentralized context in Brazil [7] and measuring contributions of development partners to financing of HRH activities [8].These articles were presented in the conference "Responsible governance for improved human resources for health: making the right choices" organised by the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam in 2010. In this conference, 181 people from 31 countries participated to discuss and exchange their experiences with governance-related issues for HRH. Five governance areas were distinguished: "development of a vision and policies for HRH"; "aid effectiveness"; "regulatory mechanisms"; "pa