This study documents the achievements and challenges of three major reforms in the area of human
resources for health in Ethiopia, which involve:
ñ creating a new cadre, designated health extension workers (HEW),1 to accelerate progress towards universal
coverage of community-level health services;
ñ task shifting and scaling up the production of mid-level health professionals to meet the human resource
requirements for the accelerated expansion of primary healthcare units; and
ñ increasing the production and competencies of general-practice physicians through an expansion of medical
schools and a reform of medical school curricula to address a critical shortage of medical doctors in the
country.