WHO recommendations for the retention of health workers in remote and rural areas have been a useful guide in many countries, particularly for initiat- ing a more structured and focused policy dialogue, strengthening the collection of evidence and supporting policy development. However, more effective mechanisms to share the lessons learnt, to assess impact and to explore the links between the rural availability of health workers and universal health coverage are needed. Such mechanisms should help answer several critical policy questions, including: “How do different types of retention interventions really work?” and “What are the contextual factors that most influence intervention success?” We also
need to know how comprehensive situation analysis can be conducted so that policy responses can be aligned with the expectations and needs of health workers, and so that the most effective mix or “bundle”19 of interventions in any given context can be identified.