NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Socio-Economic Implications of Inadequate Human Resources for Health, and Poor Health Financing

Lagos — In a statement accompanying the new 2014 health workforce factsheet and scorecard, Rotimi Sankore Editor of Afri-Dev.Info commended the efforts of the health sectors in Ebola affected countries but cautioned that:

“A key reason why the World Health Organisation and leading health groups have warned that the epidemic will take months to bring under control and may effect up to 20,00 people is that no health crisis can be swiftly and sustainably resolved with weak health systems. Health workers are the core of every health system, but most African countries have only between 5% and 40% of numbers and required mix of health workers. In addition current levels of health financing are a fraction of required investment”

Ebola, and the ongoing challenges of HIV, Malaria, TB, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Non-Communicable Diseases, Reproductive, Maternal or Child Health will not be sustainably resolved without the necessary long term population based planning, multisectoral coordination and investment across the Education, Labour, Human development, Finance, Economic development and Health sectors.”