Core Competency of Mid-level Public Health Managers in Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh has been making remarkable progress in health sector. Despite, there are some areas where further intervention is required. People-centered health systems cannot be strengthened without competent management. Core competencies are the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes required for the practice of public health. This was a first kind of effort to assess the core competencies of mid-level public health managers, working at different tiers of health system in Bangladesh.  This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2012 to June 2013, to assess the core competencies of mid-level public health managers including Civil Surgeons, Programme Managers, Upazilla Health and Family Planning Officers and Upazilla Family Planning Officers.  Data were collected by pretested self administered questionnaire based on competency measuring scale consisting of four grades of scoring. The questionnaires were mailed to 678 managers of whom 26% responded. The male female ratio of the respondents was 8:1 with an average age of 51 years. The level of competency was found, on scale, between aware and knowledgeable. Only 12.4% of the managers had postgraduate education in public health and they obtained higher average scores in all domains. The overall scores of managers in analytical, policy development, communication, cultural competency, community dimension of practice, public health science, financial planning and leadership skills were 2.6, 2.5, 2.6, 2.6, 2.7, 2.3, 2.6 and 2.7 respectively. Some two-thirds (65.7%) of the respondents had short training on different public health areas, and they showed better competency. The study findings suggest that there are scopes of improvement in the competency of mid-level public health managers in Bangladesh. As postgraduation and short training in public health might improve the competency level of the mid-level managers, so education and training for them are thus recommended.