Africa Is Losing Health Workers When It Can Least Afford To – A Pattern Rooted In Colonial History
Healthcare workers demanding improved living conditions and higher wages in Nairobi, Kenya, 2024. Anadolu/Getty Images BY DANICA SIMS SENIOR LECTURER IN MEDICAL EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD Africa has a challenge to retain the health workers it needs. The World Health Organization estimates a global shortfall of 11 million health workers by 2030, with Africa predicted to face shortages ranging from five million to six million workers . The shortfall is calculated according to disease burden and health population needs. This is the population’s size and demography together with the prevalence of diseases and risk factors, and type and frequency of health interventions planned or necessary to address the identified diseases, conditions and risk factors. This shortage is deeply unequal. Many of the 83 countries already below the recommended minimum workforce threshold are in Africa, where in 2022 only four countries (Seychelles, Namibia, Mauritius and South Africa) had more than th...
