[The development of human resources in the Americas. 1].

The first part of this paper (the second part will appear in the next issue) examines the development in the Region of manpower planning in the health field. Despite the progress made in manpower planning, training, development and utilization, especially under the stimulus of the drive to extend the coverage of health services, truly effective planning still faces major obstacles in the countries. The author describes the different kinds of personnel required for the health system and the problems created by a lack of connection between the needs of the population, economic and health policies, and the network for the training of that personnel. He finds that this lack of agreement stems from inadequate planning. Following a consideration of educational trends in Latin America, the author advocates the development of new approaches based on interdisciplinarity and leading to a greater integration of teaching and care as a means of optimal manpower planning in the health field.