Background: Financial limitation is a challenge in allocating human resources to provide environmental health services as a public health need. This study aimed to compare the cost of manpower for environmental health services in public health centers in the current situation and scenarios based on local needs.
Methods: A financial model including fixed and variable costs in providing human resources was used. Human resources costs in the current situation and scenarios based on the allocation of human resources considering local needs were analyzed and compared. The financial situation in the studied scenarios was analyzed using the Monte Carlo simulation.
Results: The workforce capacity was 25.38 to 80.06% less than local demands. Also, in 25% of the studied rural health centers, the workforce capacity was 13.8 to 39.03% less than local demands. In addition, in 75% of the rural health centers, the capacity of the environmental health workforce was 13-138% higher than local demands. Based on the traditional human resource support model, increasing the capacity of the environmental health workforce in the studied area would require hiring equal to 84% of the current workforce capacity, which would increase human resource management costs by 60%. However, applying a proportional distribution model of the environmental health workforce led to a 14.42% reduction in human resource costs.
Conclusion: Proportional distribution of the health workforce based on local demands is a necessity in human resource management to prevent occupational consequences such as burnout and administrative costs.