Remedies to the Global Shortage of Health Workers

Almost every country in the world is currently experiencing a lack of health-care personnel. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study, at least half of the world's countries are unprepared to meet their citizens' health-care needs (2017). The UN considers health to be a fundamental human right to which everyone should have access. The situation is now much worse because of the outbreak, spread and prevalence of Covid-19 virus. America boasts of hosting 37% of the global healthcare professionals while Africa has only 3% (WHO, 2018). This study sought to investigate the impact of proposed remedies to the shortage of global healthcare workers. Tables and graphic representations are used to visualize and illustrate impact of remedies.

Figure 1: Estimates of Health Worker Shortages, by WHO Region, 2013.

According to the WHO, there is a great deal of discrepancy in the global lack of health-care personnel. This, combined with the disease load, keeps developing countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, in a bind. An examination of global statistics reveals differences in the distribution of health workers by sector and region. Figure 2 depicts a graphical representation of health-care worker distribution by continent and kind.

Figure 2: Density of select health professionals per 10,000 people

Africa, with its diverse 54 states, has the least health worker density compared to other regions. It is the most vulnerable group and the shortage has devastating impacts on their health care systems. In recent times, the Corona virus pandemic exposed and worsened the extent of this shortage. The strain on medical equipment, personnel and treatment regime has reached unprecedented levels, prompting action from developed nations, in the form of aid. This is in accordance to the latest data released by the WHO. Eastern Mediterranean region, with an estimate of 5% of the world’s health care workers, is second in this crisis. This places the area at high risk of health care systems failure or strain.

South East Asia (8%) and Western pacific (15%) follow at third and fourth spot in the severity of the shortage, respectively. The Europe region boasts of having 32% of the total health care workers. The Americas region has the highest number of health care workers in the world. Their density of health professionals to the population is relatively high as illustrated in figure 2. Globally, analysis of health data reveals a huge deficit in the availability of sufficient health workers. The density of health care workers per 10000 people is estimated to be between 16% to 18% (WHO, 2019).

A sectorial analysis of WHO data on health worker shortages reveals the areas that have the least number of workers. In this report, only four types of professional workers in the health sector were considered. These were medical doctors, nursing and midwifery personnel, dentists and pharmacists. In comparison, dentists are the fewest at a dismal 3% density of the health care workers to 10000 people. Pharmacists and Doctors have 5% and 17% density of health workers to their populations, respectively. Nurses represent the biggest number of health workers, with a density of 39% per 10000 people. The cross-sectional analysis of health care workers reveals that Africa has the lowest number of workers in all types. This is a worrying trend that the United Nation, World Health Organization and other global organizations should prioritize if they are to achieve the UNs Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In order to address the disparities and shortages in health care workers globally, certain steps have to be taken with all the stakeholders. For any country to successfully deal with this crisis, their corresponding government has to make it a national priority. These interventions and possible remedies include:

Adopting Strong Governance Policies and Frameworks

This entails the creation and implementation of concrete and industry-guided policies that guide the health sector. Strong policies that guide education in the medical field, health employment, international relations and exchange of medical services and personnel, relocation of health workers, and creative partnership systems are crucial. In the United Kingdom, the setting up and application of sustainable framework has led to greater access to medical training, education and finances leading to high number of medical practitioners. Governments of developing countries should adopt similar policies, if they are to bridge the gap between healthcare needs and health care workers available.

Defining and Distinguishing Health Workers Roles and Responsibilities

Studies have shown that over 70% of nurses and doctors are performing duties that they should not. Given, the global statistics above, it is evident that there is very poor distribution of healthcare professionals. A possible short-term remedy to this crisis is rationally re-organize our workforce for effective management of high-burden areas like Africa. Training of nurses and doctors equips them with the essential skill set that improve the quality of health care given. Redistribution of qualified personnel would ensure populations from developing countries to access live-saving medical procedures, early disease detection and medical advice that they previously could not. This initiative would lead to less strain on the available specialists worldwide and significant cost reduction in upscaling additional workforce.

Embracing Medical Innovations and Technology

The health sector of developing countries should speed up the adoption of technology in health care. The use of e-learning and e-health techniques, Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality simulation as well as the internet can greatly assist in the upskilling and training of health workers. This intervention would lead to an increase of trained professionals in the health sector hence reducing the shortage. Devices used to monitor health at home, tiny cameras, drones and methods of outreach for remote healthcare are all changing healthcare delivery. The use of internet and virtual learning also enables training of support personnel to help reduce the strain on healthcare professionals. These modern technologies are increasing the reach of an individual health worker without the associated strain. In England, doctors are well on their way to creating fully functional robots that can mimic complex surgeries.

Ensuring Sustainability and Gender-Balance of Health Workforce

The analysis above reveals a great extent of disparities and gender imbalance in health employment and the medical education system. Data shows that over 70% of nurses are females while only 30% of doctors are females. Given the difference in medical needs of female and male patients, more focus should be put on the training of female doctors. The governments of developing nations should put in place incentives and financial assistance programs for them. Along with reducing this disparity, the initiative will also lead to increase in medical doctors numbers. According to International Labor Organization (ILO) data, the gender wage gap is also an area to improve, if this shortage is to cease. Equal pay would motivate more women to train and practice as medical doctors. 

Adoption of Responsive and New HealthCare Systems

Traditional health systems that rely on hospitals and clinics require change to better align with the current conditions of developing countries. Governments in these nations must support a shift towards preventive care and self-care, as well as healthy living. A healthcare policy should encompass all socio-economic factors that affect health in area of concern. New care models and systems should be put in place that allow early disease detection through wearable gadgets. They should also entail the rearranging and redistribution of medical assets. The health workforce should be equipped well to provide high quality, community-based and integrated healthcare.

A better mapping and distribution of health care resources worldwide is another intervention that can greatly reduce the burden on health care workers. The inclusion and consideration of cultural aspects when training doctors meant for a particular region is also an important factor to consider in solving this crisis. The International community and organizations should not only shift focus to solving this crisis but also on fixing the disparities in the workforce. If developed countries were to champion collaborations in medical education and exchange programs between countries, cultural diversity would be achieved.

References

O’Brien & Gostin. (November, 2011). Health Workers and Social Justice. Milbank Quarterly.

WHO. (June, 2010). Task Shifting to Tackle Health Worker Shortages. task_shifting_booklet.pdf (who.int).

Nicola Yeates. (May, 2019). International Health Worker Migration and Recruitment: Global Governance, Politics and Policy.

WHO. (June, 2018 Global Health Workforce statistics database Global Health Workforce statistics database (who.int).