At least fourteen countries of the 39 that make up the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), among them VenezuelaThey lack enough doctors, nurses and midwives to meet the health needs of its population, according to a report from the agency revealed on Wednesday.
The study ‘The health force in the Americas: regional data and indicators’ warns that without immediate interventions, the Americas could face a deficit of between 600,000 and 2 million health workers by 2030, compromising universal access to health in the region.
The researchers found that, despite the fact that the average health workers of 66.57 per 10,000 inhabitants of the countries that make up the PAHO exceeds the threshold of 44.5 of the World Health Organization (WHO), large inequalities are recorded in countries such as Haiti and Honduras with averages of only 6.38 and 7.13 health workers for every 10,000 settlers, respectively.
The bass averages of Haiti and Honduras contrast with other PAHO members, such as Cuba and the United States that almost quadruple the WHO goal. While Nicaragua does not reach the middle of the WHO threshold.
Bolivia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Jamaica, Belize, Guatemala, Venezuela, Santa Lucía, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Peru and Surinam complete the list of countries that lack sufficient health personnel established by WHO.
Factors such as limited formative capacity, aging of workforce, migration (especially in the Caribbean) and unequal distribution extend the gap, says the report.
“Health staff is the backbone of our health systems; without them it is simply not possible to talk about universal access or coverage,” said Jarbas Barbosa, director of the PAHO.
“This report provides us with specific data to guide investment in training, retention and decent working conditions, ensuring that health reaches everyone,” added the head of the agency.
The study examined the situation of health personnel from eight key occupations in health: medicine, nursing, levia, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, psychology and community workers.
PAHO researchers concluded that without strategic investments in training, regulation, working conditions and personnel distribution, it will not be possible to move towards “truly universal, equitable and resilient health systems.”
“The challenge is not only to have more health professionals, but to make sure that they are most needed and have the appropriate capabilities to respond to the demands of the population,” said Barbosa.
With EFE information
