World will lack 18 million health workers by 2030 without adequate investment, warns UN

A United Nations commission has called for urgent global investment to create new health sector jobs and prevent a projected shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030.

It said that these health workers will be needed mainly in low and lower middle income countries to meet population needs, achieve universal health coverage, and spur economic growth. Without adequate investment, it warned, “inequalities will rise, and social cohesion will be adversely, even catastrophically, affected.”

The Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth is chaired by the French president, François Hollande, and the South African president, Jacob Zuma. It submitted a report, including 10 recommendations for action, to the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, at …