Supporting a Stronger Global Health Workforce
In 2006 the WHO estimated a global shortage of around 4.3 million health workers. Since then, international consensus has grown that the global health workforce is inadequate to support interventions to address HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases.
Low-income countries have the highest burden of disease, yet experience the most acute shortages in health workers of all kinds, from doctors to nurses and midwives, to support staff that keep the health system running. These shortages are related to numerous factors, including training and production of new workers, employment opportunities, distribution, recruitment, retention, and retraining, with a need to significantly strengthen hiring capacity, management, and compensation.
Our own research has demonstrated that even where the numbers of health workers may be adequate, the ability of practitioners to be effective or efficient is seriously undermined by highly compromised working conditions, supervision, facilities, equipment, supplies and living conditions. Additionally, countries may invest in public university training programs for health workers, only to lose them through brain drain to other countries or the private sector.
The number of academics and advocates in the workforce field is still relatively small, and major gaps exist in the evidence base regarding concrete and effective policy strategies to address the crisis.
The goal of our work on this issue is to increase understanding of health workforce challenges and solutions, so that health workers are a strong part of the public-sector health system. We also use communications and advocacy channels to raise the visibility of health workforce issues, both within the U.S. and internationally. We are members of the international Health Workforce Advocacy Initiative, which advises the World Health Organization's Global Health Workforce Alliance.