WHO sees urgent need for 4 mln more health workers

GENEVA (Reuters) – More than 4 million more doctors,
nurses, midwives and health workers are urgently needed to ease
worldwide shortages, which are most acute in Africa, the World
Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.

At its annual assembly in Geneva, the United Nations agency
formed a taskforce to help countries better manage their health
needs and find ways to attract and retain qualified workers.

The WHO said 57 countries, of which 36 are in sub-Saharan
Africa, have severe shortages of health workers, causing lapses
in childhood immunization, birthing assistance and other needs.

“The inadequacy of the health workforce in many developing
countries is a major obstacle to providing essential
life-saving health services to millions of people who lack
access now,” WHO Assistant Director-General Timothy Evans said.

Initial partners of the new Global Health Workforce
Alliance include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World
Bank, the International Council of Nurses, and development and
health agencies from Canada, Norway, Thailand and the European
Union.

The group will seek to support the education of health
workers by encouraging partnerships between schools in rich and
poor countries, including student and faculty exchanges.

It also aims to create “planning teams” in each country
facing health worker shortages, made up of academic leaders, to
develop national health workforce strategies to help countries
find ways to fill gaps quickly.