GENEVA—A critical shortage of health workers has resulted in inadequate access to even the most basic healthcare in 57 of the world's poorest countries, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on April 7. In its 209-page annual World Health Report , the WHO estimated that 2.4 million additional doctors, midwives and nurses are needed to address the shortfall, and that globally, 4.3 million extra healthcare workers are required.
"The global population is growing, but the number of health workers is stagnating or even falling in many of the places where they are needed most," said Lee Jong-wook, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), in the report.
At least 1.3 billion people worldwide lack access to basic healthcare, usually where healthcare workers are the fewest. As many as ten million deaths per year, typically due to infectious disease and pregnancy-related complications, could be averted through better access to health care, the report said.
In addition, qualified health workers in the most affected areas are leaving them, lured by the prospects of a better salary and standard of living.
"Not enough health workers are being trained or recruited where they are most needed, and increasing numbers are joining a brain drain of qualified professionals who are migrating to better-paid jobs in richer countries," said WHO Assistant Director-General Dr. Timothy Evans, in a press release.
Life expectancies in some of poorest countries in the world have dropped to half the levels of the richest, due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and to more than a dozen "failed states," said the report.
It also addressed increasing global concerns about new infectious diseases such as bird flu and SARS, as well as "hidden" behavioral conditions such as mental disorders and domestic violence.
See the whole report here:
http://www.who.int/whr/2006/en/
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