Geneva, April 7, (dpa/GNA) - On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday warned of a growing staffing gap in the global healthcare system.
By 2030, there will be a dearth of around 10 million professionals worldwide, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva.
“As the world rebuilds from the Covid-19 pandemic, we are calling on all countries to protect and invest in their health and care workforce,” Tedros said. “Put simply, there is no health without health and care workers.”
Since the start of the pandemic, the sector had experienced an estimated 50% burnout rate among staff. Even before this, many had to work for too little pay and in unsafe conditions, Tedros said.
Moreover, while women made up almost 70% of health workers, they accounted for less than a quarter of managers and were often subjected to violence at work, he said.
The WHO was founded on April 7, 1948, when the WHO constitution came into force. Since then, life expectancy has risen dramatically worldwide, according to Tedros, while maternal and infant mortality have fallen sharply in recent decades. Great successes have been achieved in the fight against malaria, tuberculosis and HIV.
However, there have been dramatic increases in diabetes and obesity. Tedros also pointed out that almost 2 billion people are in financial need because they have to pay their medical costs out of their own pockets.
GNA