The report highlights persistent challenges in the equitable distribution of the health workforce across ten South and South-East Asian countries, marked by rural-urban disparities and reliance on expatriate or foreign-trained professionals. Institutional reforms focus on modernizing medical education, embedding competency-based curricula, and integrating digital innovations like HRIS and telemedicine to enhance training and monitoring. Quality and accountability efforts emphasize structured regulatory frameworks, linking professional development to licensing, and embedding community accountability mechanisms to move beyond compliance towards transformative governance. Despite progress, systemic gaps in private sector regulation, infrastructure, and consistent implementation hinder sustainable improvements in workforce quality and equitable access.
