55 countries facing severe health worker shortages – WHO
The World Health Organization has said that as many as 55 countries are grappling with severe shortages of health workers as they continue to seek better paying opportunities in the most rich.
They continue to seek higher-paying opportunities in wealthier countries that have stepped up efforts to recruit them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the WHO, African countries have been most affected by the phenomenon, with 37 countries on the continent facing a shortage of health personnel.
"The shortage of health workers has threatened their chances of achieving universal health care by 2030 - a key commitment of the Sustainable Development Goals."
The actions of rich countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development are closely examined in the alert from the WHO, among other regions.
"In Africa, it's a very dynamic economy that's creating new opportunities," Dr Jim Campbell, director responsible for health worker policy at WHO, said in a statement on Tuesday. press release.
“The Gulf States have always been dependent on international staff, then some of the OECD high-income countries have really ramped up their recruitment and employment to respond to the pandemic and the loss of life human beings, infections, worker absences during the pandemic”.
To help countries protect their vulnerable health systems, WHO has released an updated list of health worker support and protection measures, which highlights countries with a low number of qualified health personnel.
"These countries need priority support for health workforce development and health system strengthening, as well as additional safeguards that limit active international recruitment," insisted the WHO.
Supporting the call for universal health care for all countries in line with the SDGs, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus called on all countries to adhere to the provisions of the WHO Health Workforce Support and Protection List.
“Healthcare workers are the backbone of any health system, yet 55 countries with some of the world's most fragile health systems don't have enough of them and many are losing out their healthcare workers because of international migration,” he said. added.
Although many countries adhere to existing WHO guidelines on the recruitment of health workers, the principle is not widely accepted, WHO has warned.
"What we see is that the majority of countries are complying with these provisions by not actively recruiting from these (vulnerable) countries," Campbell said.
"But there is also a market for private recruitment and we expect them to also reach some of the expected global standards in terms of practice and behaviour."
Mechanisms also exist for governments or other individuals to notify the WHO if they are "concerned" about the behavior of recruiters, the WHO official said.
The WHO Health Workforce Support and Protection List does not prohibit international recruitment but recommends that governments involved in such programs be informed of the impact on the health care system. health in the countries where they recruit qualified health professionals.
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The World Health Organization has said that as many as 55 countries are grappling with severe shortages of health workers as they continue to seek better paying opportunities in the most rich.
They continue to seek higher-paying opportunities in wealthier countries that have stepped up efforts to recruit them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the WHO, African countries have been most affected by the phenomenon, with 37 countries on the continent facing a shortage of health personnel.
"The shortage of health workers has threatened their chances of achieving universal health care by 2030 - a key commitment of the Sustainable Development Goals."
The actions of rich countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development are closely examined in the alert from the WHO, among other regions.
"In Africa, it's a very dynamic economy that's creating new opportunities," Dr Jim Campbell, director responsible for health worker policy at WHO, said in a statement on Tuesday. press release.
“The Gulf States have always been dependent on international staff, then some of the OECD high-income countries have really ramped up their recruitment and employment to respond to the pandemic and the loss of life human beings, infections, worker absences during the pandemic”.
To help countries protect their vulnerable health systems, WHO has released an updated list of health worker support and protection measures, which highlights countries with a low number of qualified health personnel.
"These countries need priority support for health workforce development and health system strengthening, as well as additional safeguards that limit active international recruitment," insisted the WHO.
Supporting the call for universal health care for all countries in line with the SDGs, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus called on all countries to adhere to the provisions of the WHO Health Workforce Support and Protection List.
“Healthcare workers are the backbone of any health system, yet 55 countries with some of the world's most fragile health systems don't have enough of them and many are losing out their healthcare workers because of international migration,” he said. added.
Although many countries adhere to existing WHO guidelines on the recruitment of health workers, the principle is not widely accepted, WHO has warned.
"What we see is that the majority of countries are complying with these provisions by not actively recruiting from these (vulnerable) countries," Campbell said.
"But there is also a market for private recruitment and we expect them to also reach some of the expected global standards in terms of practice and behaviour."
Mechanisms also exist for governments or other individuals to notify the WHO if they are "concerned" about the behavior of recruiters, the WHO official said.
The WHO Health Workforce Support and Protection List does not prohibit international recruitment but recommends that governments involved in such programs be informed of the impact on the health care system. health in the countries where they recruit qualified health professionals.
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