The May 10, 2008, issue of The Lancet included a letter from the Capacity Project’s Barbara Stilwell, Anne Wilson and Jim McCaffery titled “Non-physician clinicians in sub-Saharan Africa.” Written in response to a Lancet article by Fitzhugh Mullan and Seble Frehywot, the letter raises four issues for further consideration and concludes that for non-physician clinicians (NPCs) “to be a long-term solution to workforce shortages, substantial financial investment is required to ensure safe regulated practise. Further investigation on the effect of NPCs on health outcomes would be welcome.” The authors provide a reference to a Capacity Project publication: Incorporating lay human resources to increase accessibility to antiretroviral therapy: a home-based approach in Uganda. The letter is in the print edition and online.

The IntraHealth-led Capacity Project is an innovative global initiative funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), designed to help developing countries build and sustain the health workforce so they can respond systemically to the challenges of implementing and sustaining quality health programs. IntraHealth’s Anne Wilson is the Project Director.  The Capacity Project is currently active in 15 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as countries in Asia and South and Central America.