On World Health Day Shyam Bishen, Head of Health and Healthcare at the World Economic Forum (WEF)  highlights the global shortage of health care workers.

Global collaboration is needed

In his official statement, Bishen says there’s an urgent need for strengthened collaboration between private and public stakeholders. to improve the resilience of healthcare systems.  He says, the global healthcare sector will have to work together in order to overcome challenges laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic. .

 “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has tested health systems to their limits, and sometimes beyond them – with tragic consequences. For instance, the global shortage in health care workers, which was already a concern in 2016, was underlined and exacerbated by the pandemic.”

Shyam Bishen

A global health crisis

The World Health Organisation predicts that the health workers shortage may more than double from 7 million in 2016 to 18 million by 2030 – so steps should be taken to address this challenge now. Clearly, the world was caught unprepared by this crisis. We must learn lessons from it in order to prepare for and avert the worst health impacts of any future pandemic and the looming climate crisis  – which is the single biggest health threat facing humanity.

Build resilient health

Bishen further explained that the Forum is working with the multi-sector community to build a solid knowledge base, guide action by generating evidence-informed solutions.

Change is needed today if we are to build sustainable global health systems that are resilient to crises tomorrow.

References

The World Health Organisation’s official World Health Day, 7th April 2022: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2022#

Watch:  Download the interview here.