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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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Empowering patients and strengthening communities for real health workforce and funding targets
The setting of ambitious targets for expanding the health workforce and improving its quality, efficiency and equitable service delivery is a task long...
Health workforce benchmarks for universal health coverage and sustainable development
Universal health coverage (UHC) includes the guarantee that everyone will be protected over the entire life-cycle by a defined set of essential health...
Towards universal health coverage: a health workforce fit for purpose and practice
The finality of universal health coverage (UHC) is to ensure that all people are able to access the quality health services they need without suffering...
Health workforce indicators: let’s get real
Health workforce indicators? Those should be easy. We just need to count the numbers entering from training institutions or through re-entry, the numbers...
Tackling health workforce challenges to universal health coverage: setting targets and measuring progress
Human resources for health (HRH) will have to be strengthened if universal health coverage (UHC) is to be achieved. Existing health workforce benchmarks...
Health workforce contributions to health system development: a platform for universal health coverage
In the 1970s, Thailand was a low-income country with poor health indicators and low health service coverage. The local health infrastructure was especially...
Strengthening human resources for health through information, coordination and accountability mechanisms:...
Human resources for health (HRH) in the Sudan were limited by shortages and the maldistribution of health workers, poor management, service fragmentation,...
Strengthening human resources for health through multisectoral approaches and leadership: the case of...
Cameroon has a severe shortage of human resources for health (HRH) and those that are available are concentrated in urban areas. As the result of a national...
Human resources for health and universal health coverage: fostering equity and effective coverage
Achieving universal health coverage (UHC) involves distributing resources, especially human resources for health (HRH), to match population needs. This...
Community health workers for universal health-care coverage: from fragmentation to synergy
To achieve universal health coverage, health systems will have to reach into every community, including the poorest and hardest to access. Since Alma-Ata,...
Why do health labour market forces matter?
Human resources for health have been recognized as essential to the development of responsive and effective health systems. Low- and middle-income countries...
Early implementation of WHO recommendations for the retention of health workers in remote and rural areas
The maldistribution of health workers between urban and rural areas is a policy concern in virtually all countries. It prevents equitable access to health...
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Normative publications
Self-care competency framework - volume 2: knowledge guide for health and care workers to support people’s...
The knowledge guide is the second volume in the Self-care competency framework to support health and care workers. This describes how health...
Self-care competency framework - volume 3: curriculum guide for health and care workers to support people’s...
The curriculum guide is the third volume in the Self-care competency framework to support health and care workers. It is a resource for educational...
WHO report on global health worker mobility
The WHO report on global health worker mobility presents consolidated data on health worker mobility gathered across diverse data sources and geographies,...
What the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed: the findings of five global health workforce professions
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO asserted that a holistic assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact is needed and accordingly formulated a...
Additional publications
Annex 1- Retention of the health workforce in rural and remote areas: a systematic review
2020 Triad Statement
Report of the WHO Expert Advisory Group on the Relevance and Effectiveness of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel
Expert Advisory Group’s 2nd Review of Code Relevance and Effectiveness
Youth and decent work in the health and social care sector
Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List (2020)
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