Background: Succession planning is a cornerstone of strategic human
resources for health. As a cross-cutting component, leadership and governance
provide the basis for the overall policy and regulation of all the other health
system blocks.
Aim: This study aimed to explore the barriers hindering effective
succession planning and management (SPM) in the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health
(MoH).
Methodology: A qualitative study design was used to understand the
barriers to succession planning practices in the MoH. A purposive sample of
eighteen (18) participants was interviewed, using a semi-structured guide. All
interviews were audio-recorded with the participants’ consent. For the
analysis, Braun and Clarke’s (2006) step-by-step framework for performing
thematic analysis was followed. The MAXQDA 22 software was used for the text
coding and storage.
Findings: The critical barriers that hinder succession planning in
the MOH were identified in three main themes: (1) Politics and nepotism, (2)
weak performance evaluation mechanism, and (3) lack of resources/costs.
Politics and tribalism were considered serious threats to succession planning
in the MoH. The findings of this study point to a severe crisis in public
health management capacity, driven by the lack of a structured system to
develop and retain future leaders. A recurring cycle of leadership instability
and management failure will severely compromise Sierra Leone’s efforts to
strengthen the health system and achieve universal health coverage.
Conclusion: Research on succession planning in the public sector in
Africa is scanty, especially in fragile and post-conflict settings. This study,
conducted in Sierra Leone, which had experienced a 10-year civil war, offers a
unique opportunity to understand succession planning practices in the MoH to
inform post-war public sector governance reforms. The study revealed the weak
strategic human resource planning in the public health sector. This study is
important for policy and practice because it raises awareness about effective succession
planning strategies that help in achieving sustainability by retaining talented
staff and developing future leaders in the public health sector.
Author(s)
Details :-
Alhassan Fouard Kanu
Institute for Health Professionals Development, Sierra Leone.
Please see the book
here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/nicass/v6/6772
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