Continuing education in health sector-the issues and options.

Training has been an integral part of all developmental initiatives of the Govt. of India. The health section is no exception. Training in general requires periodic review as the learning needs of the target audience are constantly changing. Considering the magnitude of the health training programmes both in terms of human resources trained and financial investment it becomes all the more necessary to take a sharp look at the training programs in the health sector. Also training is fast expanding and taking a new shape very often sometimes even before the earlier strategies take roots throughout the project. In addition the amount of money spent on training has been multiplying every year during the last more than a decade there is a constant debate among the programme managers about the benefits of training proportional to the cost which adds to the need for periodic review. Training is one of the critical elements of any developmental project. Since it is the process of assisting a person for enhancing his/her efficiency and effectiveness at work expectations from people trained are usually very high. The controversy about training starts when the actual performance falls short of expectations. Or the results of the projects fall short of expectations. Despite these controversies and extreme swings of opinion training continues to play a significant role in most health programmes. (excerpt)