GLOBAL: Urgent Need for Health-Care Workers in Poor AIDS- Afflicted Countries: WHO

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

GLOBAL: Urgent Need for Health-Care Workers in Poor AIDS- Afflicted Countries: WHO

Canadian Press (11.04.04) - Friday, November 05, 2004
Helen Branswell

On Thursday, World Health Organization Director Dr. Lee Jong- wook warned that AIDS-ravaged sub-Saharan Africa is suffering from a critical lack of health-care workers. Lee met with Aileen Carroll, the minister responsible for the Canadian International Development Agency, and said Canada's pledge of $100 million toward WHO's effort to get antiretroviral drugs to 3 million people by the end of 2005 will help close this gap. "We will ensure that you get value for the money," Lee said at a news conference following the meeting.

With a population of 682 million, sub-Saharan Africa has just 600,000 health-care workers, said Lee. In contrast, Canada, with a population totaling less than 5 percent of sub-Saharan Africa's, has 500,000 health-care workers.

While an additional 85,000 health workers will be trained in the next 18 months, retaining them in areas where they are needed presents a challenge. "These are very, very complex issues," Lee said of doctor shortages. Canadian doctors are lured to the United States by lower taxes and better working conditions; Canada responds by advertising for doctors from South Africa and other countries, and poorer nations end up losing the most. Lee noted the migration often stems from the desire of doctors to relocate for lifestyle reasons.

Lee said many African nations are concerned about the flight of doctors, and WHO has responded by establishing a commission on the issue to search for solutions.

The WHO "3 by 5" initiative must address women and young girls, who make up the majority of new HIV/AIDS infections, said Carroll. "This disease is incredibly female in nature," she noted.

Canada is the largest contributor to WHO's "3 by 5" program. Since Canada announced its funding, Britain and Sweden have also committed money.
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