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Health systems can only function with health workers; improving health service coverage and realizing the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is dependent on their availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality.
WHO estimates a projected shortfall of 11.1 million health workers by 2030 (1), mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries. However, countries at all levels of socioeconomic development face, to varying degrees, difficulties in the education, employment, deployment, retention, and performance of their workforce.
The chronic under-investment in education and training of health workers in some countries and the mismatch between education and employment strategies in relation to health systems and population needs are contributing to continuous shortages. These are compounded by difficulties in deploying health workers to rural, remote and under-served areas. Moreover, the increasing international migration of health workers may exacerbate health workforce shortfalls, particularly in low- and lower-middle income countries.
In some countries, challenges in universal access to health workers may also result from the lack of fiscal space to absorb the supply of health workers. As a result, some countries face the paradox of health worker unemployment co-existing with major unmet health workforce needs.
The High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth found that investments in the health and social workforce can spur inclusive economic growth. The health workforce has also a vital role in building the resilience of communities and health systems and in emergency preparedness and response. Approximately 67% of the health workforce are women: investing in the health workforce is an opportunity to create decent employment opportunities, in particular for women and youth.
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External publications
Theme issue 2018: Health professions digital education: what works best, when, for whom and at what cost?
Key challenges currently facing the ambitions for greater adoption of ever-changing, complex and context-driven digital education, include assuring that...
Digital Education for Health Professionals: An Evidence Map, Conceptual Framework, and Research Agenda
Background: Health professions education has undergone major changes with the advent and adoption of digital technologies worldwide. Objective: This study...
Health Professions Digital Education on Antibiotic Management: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by...
Background: Inappropriate antibiotic prescription is one of the key contributors to antibiotic resistance, which is managed with a range of interventions...
Time for gender-transformative change in the health workforce
Underinvestment in the health workforce undermines the prospects of achieving health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A shortfall of almost...
Violence against female health workers is tip of iceberg of gender power relations
Twenty five years ago the Beijing Platform for Action for Women advocated for women’s rights to health. In doing so, it recognised women as important providers...
Global distribution of surgeons, anaesthesiologists, and obstetricians
An insufficient surgical workforce is a major barrier to safe surgical care for billions of people worldwide. Although a critical shortage of a spectrum...
Surgical Human Resources According to Types of Health Care Facility: An Assessment in Low- and Middle-Income...
A robust health care system providing safe surgical care to a population can only be achieved in conjunction with access to competent surgical personnel....
Health workforce metrics pre- and post-2015: a stimulus to public policy and planning
Evidence-based health workforce policies are essential to ensure the provision of high-quality health services and to support the attainment of universal...
Projected health-care resource needs for an effective response to COVID-19 in 73 low-income and middle-income...
Since WHO declared the COVID-19 pandemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, more than 20 million cases have been reported, as of Aug 24,...
Ear and Hearing Care Workforce: Current Status and its Implications
This study aimed to provide comprehensive global evidence on the availability of ear and hearing care (EHC) professionals and real-life examples that showcase...
Improving health workforce governance: the role of multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms and human...
A cohesive and strategic governance approach is needed to improve the health workforce (HW). To achieve this, the WHO Global Strategy on Human Resources...
Implementing a health labour market analysis to address health workforce gaps in a rural region of India
Human Resources for Health (HRH) are essential for making meaningful progress towards universal health coverage (UHC), but health systems in most of the...
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Normative publications
Assessing employment effects for the health and care workforce: a guiding framework
For policy makers, it is essential to assess the employment effects of policy interventions that increase and strengthen the health and care workforce....
The International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife: taking stock of outcomes and commitments
The 72nd World Health Assembly designated 2020 The International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. This provided a special opportunity to celebrate the...
Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) User Manual, 2nd edition
The health workforce is the fulcrum on which health system performance relies. Human resources for health (HRH) is crucial to affordable, accessible and...
National health workforce accounts: a handbook, second edition
Several years have passed since the launch of the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA) in 2017. And following a global pandemic that disrupted healthcare...
Additional publications
The Youth Hub Call for Action: Building a resilient and adaptable youth health workforce
Statement of the 9th Triad Meeting on Nursing and Midwifery
WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel: Fourth round of reporting
Global health and care worker compact: final draft for Member State review
Global health and care worker compact citation library
Southern African Development Community (SADC) Health Workforce Strategic Plan 2020-2030
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