Health Workers

May 12 is celebrated the world over as International Nurses Day, with this year’s theme calling particular attention to issues of access and equity in health care.

Nurses make up the bulk of the health workforce, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, which has 5.5 nurses and midwives for every physician. While nurses’ contributions to the health system are well-established in the literature, to date, scant attention has been directed toward many of the critical issues nurses face in their careers.

Education
The status of nursing education in developing countries is poorly understood. Read more »

During my medical residency, several of my friends stuck themselves with used needles while caring for patients. I remember their anxiety as they waited for the blood tests to arrive that indicated whether they were at risk for HIV, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C. More than a decade later, I now have an opportunity to help improve working conditions for health workers worldwide.

Exposure to infection
April 28 is World Day for Safety and Health at Work. We need to think about the health of the three million health workers who receive injuries that expose them to blood-borne pathogens—three million to hepatitis B and C and 170,000 to HIV. These injuries may result in 15,000 hepatitis C, 70,000 hepatitis B, and 500 HIV infections. More than 90% of these infections occur in developing countries both due to the higher incidences of these diseases and the lack of training, protective equipment, and proper disposal receptacles. Read more »

Country ownership—defined by the Paris declaration on aid effectiveness and the Accra agenda for action—is achieved when countries exercise effective leadership over their development policies, strategies, and actions. This is particularly visible when countries then translate these policies into prioritized operational programs.

For example, Ethiopia—as well as Rwanda, Malawi, and others—has shown marked improvement in expanding health services to the population and deploying health workers to rural communities. It’s also important that countries coordinate aid levels in conjunction with other development resources—in dialogue with donors—and encourage civil society and private sector participation. Read more »

Five years ago the World Health Organization told us that 57 countries had a critical shortage of health workers—fewer than 2.3 service providers for every thousand people. Today, all 57 countries are still below this threshold. What’s holding us back from faster progress?

First, the good news: many of these countries have national health workforce plans in place. Forty-four of the 57 crisis countries have a plan, according to the Global Health Workforce Alliance’s recent progress report.

Now, the bad news: not all of these countries are implementing their plans. Among the 57 crisis countries, only 24 have evidence-based and costed plans and are in the process of implementing them. Countries may be daunted by perceived barriers to implementation.

That’s why it makes me hopeful to see how many countries are trying creative approaches and moving from planning to action. Read more »