This report explores the theory and practice of coordinated health and human resources development as a concept that can help guard against the production of inappropriate categories or numbers of health personnel. The report concentrates of what can be done to make education and training programs more directly responsive to the priority needs in the health services. The report opens with a brief explanation of terminology followed by a review of the evolution of various policy objectives that have influenced the production of health personnel. Changing objectives move from policies designed to increase the numbers of doctors and nurses, through concern with the use of auxiliaries, to greater emphasis on community oriented and community based training. The most extensive section reviews findings from 25 case studies reported from 17 countries. Each study provides a brief overview of the country concerned and the mechanisms affecting personnel planning, production, management, and distribution followed by examples of how the mechanisms have worked in practice. The report concludes with a series of recommendations to WHO (World Health Organization) and to countries on the further promotion of coordinated health and human resources development. (DB)