Personnel management and human resources in the integrated rural health and population project of the Government of India

Special evaluation covers a period of over 2 years ending 7/83 and is based on interviews with project staff and beneficiaries conducted during visits to the five project States. Complexity and unclear procedures for creating and filling posts, coupled with little communication between the few trained management personnel, have delayed the creation of new posts for field staff. Training and assignment difficulties, especially poorly structured recruitment programs, inflexible candidate requirements, incomplete training facilities, and inadequate physical, social, professional, and security support have caused high turnovers in female workers stationed in isolated rural posts and in medical officers; the latter have also suffered from a lack of pre- and in-service training in public health planning and administration and of authority commensurate with their responsibilities. Further, lack of effective incentive and career promotion systems has resulted in lackluster on-the-job performance. Attempts to solve the above problems during implementation have been sufficient, however, to allow recruitment and training of medical and paramedical staff in the project areas to progress at a rate that will allow most posts to be filled by the project"s end. However, greater efforts in retaining field staff in isolated areas and in encouraging high motivation are needed. Staffing of project management (PM) posts has varied among the States. Unclear definition of current and post-project planning, implementation, and evaluation management roles and unclear structures and procedures of the steering committees and governing bodies for staffing of positions have resulted in delayed recruitment to PM posts. Coordination between government, health institution, USAID/I and PM staff has been weak. Rate ceilings for PM budgets have resulted in cross-State disparity in the quantity and quality of posts created and financially supported. Priority needs are to clarify PM staff roles and create and fill effective PM posts.