25.11.2016
The global shortage of health workers—an opportunity to transform care

The Lancet There is a worldwide shortage of health-care workers and the situation is worsening. WHO has forecast an 18 million shortfall by 2030, over twice the 7 million shortfall estimated in 2013. The alarm about insufficient staffing levels was raised a decade ago in the World Health Report 2006: Working Together for Health, which described the then global shortage as a “crisis”. The situation is even more critical today. What can be done?

There is a growing global consensus that investment in health and health workers not only improves and extends lives, but also yields substantial economic gains. The Lancet Commission on Investing in Health showed that, based on the value of life-years lived between 2001 and 2011, the return on investment was close to 10:1. (Photo: MamaYe Africa/flickr)