On the eve of the Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, Save the Children has launched a new report, No Child Born to Die, highlighting critical gaps in children’s access to health, and the need to address the huge global shortage of health workers.
The report notes the critical gap of over 3.5 million health workers in the poorest countries, without whom millions of children will face illness and early death. Doctors, midwives, nurses and community health workers are the backbone of health services. Without them, life-saving measures cannot be put in place. In addition, millions of existing health workers also lack the training and support they need- Save the Children.
The Global Forum on Human Resources for Health should commit to close the health worker gap, encourage the equitable distribution of health workers, deliver on commitments, recommit to the principles and structures of the Kampala Declaration and Agenda for Global Action; Publicly commit to a global Human Resources for Health and supported financial target that includes the training, retaining, and equitably distributing of at least 3.5 million additional health workers by 2015, with time-bound benching marks leading up to the 2015 MDG deadline.
More than 1000 leaders and experts – including Ministers of Health, public health experts and health workers –will meet in Bangkok, Thailand this week to highlight progress and challenges and agree future urgent action to strengthen the health workforce measures.
Issues include the ethical recruitment of international health workers, increasing the number of workers trained by developed countries and the use of incentives –including better pay, working conditions and career development – to encourage health workers to remain in their own countries and communities.
Is migration I high on agenda, and there is what is called ethical recruitment of international health workers. Do you think the recruitment of health workers can be more ethical when all countries are in need and in the developing countries there’s little investment in retention and good working environment for these workers?
Rosebell Kagumire 
The equitable distribution of health workers is a very good idea, but I hope that includes young doctors. I was lucky to find Donna Rey, the manager of an organization designed to help young doctors, but there are others like me that are trying hard to get a steady employment.