Table 11

Range in estimates of physicians, nurses and pharmacists to care for 1000 patients on ART from existing programmes*

Data source
Physicians
Nurses
Pharmacists/pharmacy technicians


Range (mean) patients/FTE
Range (mean) FTE to treat 1000 on ART
Range (mean) patients/FTE
Range (mean) FTE to treat 1000 on ART
Range (mean) patients/FTE
Range (mean) FTE to treat 1000 on ART
WHO site visits
Africa
105–5500 (1030)
0.18–9.5 (0.97)
10–333 (141)
3–100 (7)
105–100** (588)
.91–9.5** (1.7)
Asia
217–1007 (675)
0.99–4.6 (1.48)
458–533 (486)
1.9–2.2 (2.1)
935–1678 (1306)
.59–1.1 (.77)
ATSAP survey***
250–833 (525)
1.2–4 (1.9)
25–1000 (412)
1–20 (2.4)
45–833 (329)
1.2–9.5 (3.0)
Country plans estimate+






Year 1
88–534
1.9–11.4
112
8.9
558–629
1.6–1.8
Year 5
180–2820
0.35–5.6
126
7.9
623–2169
0.46–1.6

*site with low numbers of patients on ART (<150) reported highest staff to patient ratios.

**2 sites reported very high ratios of MDs to patients.

***sites reporting both MDs and medical and clinical officers had ratios of prescribing and evaluation clinicians as low as 70–286.

+ Plans includes use of other cadres eligible to prescribe other medical doctors. Means could not be calculated based on data available

Hirschhorn et al. Human Resources for Health 2006 4:1   doi:10.1186/1478-4491-4-1