During the biennium, PAHO supported the strengthening of public healthcare system capacities by training more than 23 000 professionals from various sectors, including personnel from the Ministry of People’s Power for Health, the education sector, and civil protection.  

Through in-person and virtual modalities, technical cooperation covered priority areas such as mental health, cardiovascular health, assessment of health facilities in the face of emergencies and disasters, and essential public health competencies. This systematic effort contributed to improving the preparedness and performance of human resources in the face of current and emerging health challenges, strengthening the system’s resilience. By expanding access to relevant and ongoing training, PAHO supported improvements in the quality of care, emergency response capacity, and the implementation of regional initiatives including the Disease Elimination Initiative and Better Care for NCDs. In the medium term, strengthening human talent is a key enabler for improving health outcomes and moving towards a more sustainable system that advances health for all.

Within a strategic dimension related to the complex dynamics of the workforce in Venezuela, two key initiatives have emerged aimed at the reconstruction of the Unified National Public Healthcare System. First, the University of Health Sciences accepted a proposal to adopt a nationwide faculty development strategy for problem-, community-, and health system-based learning approaches. The university has a presence in all 24 states, with 44 000 undergraduate students enrolled in 10 degree programs and 49 postgraduate programs, and is extending this initiative to the other 14 public universities operating in the health field. Second, the Health Workforce Observatory was reinstated as part of a health policy and systems observatory aimed at analyzing unjust gaps in access to and outcomes in the health of Venezuelan populations and producing inputs for decision-making toward the elimination of these disparities.