Health workforce: Availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality of health workers
Health workforce: Projected shortfall of 11 million workers threatens healthcare
Dr. Grace Mwangi (Kenya’s Chief Nursing Officer) stared at the empty nursing station. The rural hospital 200 kilometers from Nairobi needed 25 nurses. They had 7. Three more resigned last month—two emigrated to the UK, one took a corporate health job in Nairobi paying triple the salary.
“I trained 50 nurses last year,” Dr. Mwangi said, voice cracking. “Within six months, 30 had left the country. The ones who stayed are exhausted, demoralized, overwhelmed. We can’t provide decent care when one nurse handles 40 patients. People die not because we lack medicine or equipment—they die because we lack enough hands to deliver care.”
The maternity ward told the story most painfully. Women giving birth waited hours for assistance. Complications went unnoticed. Preventable deaths occurred weekly. “We built beautiful facilities, bought modern equipment, established protocols. But without enough trained health workers, it’s all meaningless,” Dr. Mwangi explained.
This is the global health workforce crisis. According to WHO, health systems can only function with health workers; improving health service coverage and realizing the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is dependent on their availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality.
WHO estimates a projected shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries. For more on related healthcare system challenges, see our articles on health systems governance and universal health coverage at ObserverVoice.com.
Complex Global Challenges
However, countries at all levels of socioeconomic development face, to varying degrees, difficulties in the education, employment, deployment, retention, and performance of their workforce. The chronic under-investment in education and training of health workers in some countries and the mismatch between education and employment strategies in relation to health systems and population needs are contributing to continuous shortages.
These are compounded by difficulties in deploying health workers to rural, remote and underserved areas. Moreover, the increasing international migration of health workers may exacerbate health workforce shortfalls, particularly in low- and lower-middle income countries. Human resources for health information systems are often weak to take stock of selected health workers from the public sector.
In some countries, challenges in universal access to health workers may also result from the lack of capacity by the public sector to absorb the supply of health workers due to budgetary constraints. As a result, some countries face the paradox of health worker unemployment co-existing with major unmet health needs.
The High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth identified six pathways by which investments in the health and social workforce can spur inclusive economic growth. The health workforce has a vital role in building the resilience of communities and health systems to respond to disasters caused by natural or artificial hazards, as well as related environmental, technological and biological hazards and risks. Sixty-seven per cent of the health and social workforce are women and investing in the health workforce is an opportunity to create decent employment opportunities, in particular for women and youth.
Related topics include health laws, health systems governance, hospitals, and medical devices. For more on healthcare employment strategies, see our article on health financing at ObserverVoice.com.
Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health
The Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 is the key guiding document with principles and objectives. Guiding principles include: Promote the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health; Provide integrated, people-centred health services devoid of stigma and discrimination; Foster empowered and engaged communities; Uphold the personal, employment and professional rights of all health workers, including safe and decent working environments and freedom from all kinds of discrimination, coercion and violence.
Additional principles include: Eliminate gender-based violence, discrimination and harassment; Promote international collaboration and solidarity in alignment with national priorities; Ensure ethical recruitment practices in conformity with the provisions of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel; Mobilize and sustain political and financial commitment and foster inclusiveness and collaboration across sectors and constituencies; Promote innovation and the use of evidence.
Working for Health Programme Partnership
The Working for Health Programme is a joint partnership between the World Health Organization (WHO), International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to expand and transform the health and social workforce to drive inclusive economic growth and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Working for Health contributes to universal health coverage and to SDG 3, 4, 5 and 8 (health, education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth) through the Five-Year Action Plan on Health Employment and Inclusive Economic Growth 2017-2021. In 2020, Working for Health supported thirty-two countries and two regional economic areas namely, the Southern African Development Community and the West African Economic and Monetary Union. The Working for Health Programme supports strengthening health workforce data globally through the International Platform on Health Worker Mobility Platform on Health Worker Mobility and Inter-Agency Data Exchange (IADEx).
Global Health Workforce Network
The WHO led/coordinated network Global Health Workforce Network was established in 2016, following a request by Member States and building on a proposal by the Board of the Global Health Workforce Alliance. The Network operates within WHO as a global mechanism for stakeholder consultation, dialogue and coordination on comprehensive and coherent health workforce policies in support of the implementation of the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health and the recommendations of the Commission.
Key national and local partners include ministries of health, education, labour, finance, national planning, gender, youth; professional associations and trade unions; regulatory authorities; private providers; civil society. Key international partners include International Labour Organization (ILO), The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), The World Bank, The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The European Union (EU), International NGOs.
Essential Publications and Data Resources
November 2025 WHO published Essential newborn care course, second edition providing foundation for essential care of every newborn: immediate care at birth, resuscitation when needed, breast milk feeding. October 2025 WHO published WHO Academy quality standards: leading lifelong learning for a healthier world explaining how WHO Academy serves as transformative force in global health education.
July 2025 WHO published WHO Academy: annual report 2024 highlighting landmark year marked by official opening of Academy’s state-of-the-art campus in Lyon, France. June 2025 WHO published Guidance on planning, implementing and scaling up task sharing for contraceptive services providing evidence-based recommendations and practical strategies.
May 2025 WHO reported Nursing workforce grows, but inequities threaten global health goals. December 2024 WHO announced New study measuring laws protecting health and care workers highlights innovations and gaps. October 2024 WHO marked International Day of Care and Support: time for gender-equitable investment.
WHO provides Global health workforce statistics, Global Health Observatory, and WHO national health workforce accounts data portal. WHO offers COVID-19 vaccination training for health workers. WHO featured Transforming abortion care starts with education, Prioritizing respectful care for pregnant women, mothers and babies, Fatima: crossing deserts to protect mothers and newborns in Pakistan.
Strong International Commitment
World Health Assembly passed multiple resolutions supporting health workforce development including WHA 75.17 on Human resources for health, WHA74.14 on Protecting, safeguarding and investing in health and care workforce (2021), WHA74.15 on Strengthening nursing and midwifery (2021), WHA73/9 on WHO Global Code of Practice on International Recruitment of Health Personnel (2020), WHA72.3 on Community health workers delivering primary health care (2019), WHA 69.19 on Global strategy on human resources for health: workforce 2030.
WHO’s Health Workforce team coordinates comprehensive technical work. WHO provides Q&A on National reporting instrument and WHO health workforce support and safeguards list.
Dr. Mwangi now leads Kenya’s comprehensive health workforce strategy incorporating better salaries, rural incentives, career development paths, safe working conditions, and retention bonuses. “We can’t stop all migration—people have right to seek opportunities. But we can create conditions where health workers choose to stay because they’re valued, supported, fairly compensated, and able to provide quality care. Investing in our health workforce isn’t charity—it’s the smartest economic and health security investment a country can make.”
For more information, visit WHO’s health workforce topic page or explore related content at ObserverVoice.com.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Health systems can only function with health workers; improving health service coverage and realizing right to enjoyment of highest attainable standard of health is dependent on their availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality. WHO estimates projected shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030, mostly in low- and lower-middle income countries. Countries at all levels of socioeconomic development face difficulties in education, employment, deployment, retention, and performance of their workforce. Chronic under-investment in education and training of health workers and mismatch between education and employment strategies in relation to health systems and population needs are contributing to continuous shortages. Increasing international migration of health workers may exacerbate health workforce shortfalls. Related: universal health coverage, health systems governance.
The Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 is key guiding document with principles and objectives. Guiding principles include: Promote right to enjoyment of highest attainable standard of health; Provide integrated, people-centred health services devoid of stigma and discrimination; Foster empowered and engaged communities; Uphold personal, employment and professional rights of all health workers, including safe and decent working environments and freedom from all kinds of discrimination, coercion and violence; Eliminate gender-based violence, discrimination and harassment; Promote international collaboration and solidarity in alignment with national priorities; Ensure ethical recruitment practices in conformity with provisions of WHO Global Code of Practice on International Recruitment of Health Personnel; Mobilize and sustain political and financial commitment and foster inclusiveness and collaboration across sectors and constituencies; Promote innovation and use of evidence. Related: health laws, hospitals.
The Working for Health Programme is joint partnership between World Health Organization (WHO), International Labour Organization (ILO) and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to expand and transform health and social workforce to drive inclusive economic growth and achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Working for Health contributes to universal health coverage and to SDG 3, 4, 5 and 8 (health, education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth) through Five-Year Action Plan on Health Employment and Inclusive Economic Growth 2017-2021. In 2020, Working for Health supported thirty-two countries and two regional economic areas. Programme supports strengthening health workforce data globally through International Platform on Health Worker Mobility. WHO led/coordinated Global Health Workforce Network established in 2016 operates as global mechanism for stakeholder consultation, dialogue and coordination.
November 2025 WHO published Essential newborn care course, second edition. October 2025 WHO published WHO Academy quality standards: leading lifelong learning for a healthier world. July 2025 WHO published WHO Academy: annual report 2024. June 2025 WHO published Guidance on planning, implementing and scaling up task sharing for contraceptive services. May 2025 WHO reported Nursing workforce grows, but inequities threaten global health goals. December 2024 WHO announced New study measuring laws protecting health and care workers. WHO provides Global health workforce statistics, Global Health Observatory, WHO national health workforce accounts data portal.
World Health Assembly passed multiple resolutions supporting health workforce: WHA 75.17 on Human resources for health; WHA74.14 on Protecting, safeguarding and investing in health and care workforce (2021); WHA74.15 on Strengthening nursing and midwifery: investments in education, jobs, leadership and service delivery (2021); WHA73/9 on WHO Global Code of Practice on International Recruitment of Health Personnel (2020); WHA72.3 on Community health workers delivering primary health care (2019); WHA 69.19 on Global strategy on human resources for health: workforce 2030. WHO’s Health Workforce team coordinates technical work. Related: medical devices.
- WHO Health Workforce Topic Page
- Global Health Workforce Statistics
- WHO National Health Workforce Accounts Data Portal
- Global Health Workforce Network
- WHA Resolution 69.19: Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health
Disclaimer: This article is an adaptation of publicly available information from WHO’s Health workforce
health topic page (WHO, Geneva. Licence: CC BYNC-SA 3.0 IGO). WHO is not responsible for the
content or accuracy of this adaptation. This content is for informational and educational purposes
only and does not constitute medical advice. ObserverVoice.com is a news and information platform
— not a healthcare provider.
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