G-8 summit eyes targets to tackle global shortage of health workers

Japan Policy & Politics, June 30, 2008

TOKYO, June 23 Kyodo

The Group of Eight nations are discussing setting numerical targets at the leaders' summit in July to tackle the world's chronic shortage of health workers, especially in Africa and Asia, by meeting the World Health Organization's minimum threshold, sources close to the negotiations said Sunday.

Japan, as host of the July 7-9 summit, is particularly pushing for G-8 cooperation to promote universal access to reproductive health services and increased birth attendance by skilled attendants in Africa to 75 percent in five years to drive forward the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, or MDGs, the sources said.

The G-8 members are considering including in a set of guidelines the WHO goal of having at least 4.1 health service providers and support workers per 1,000 population, including 2.3 health workers -- doctors, nurses and midwives -- per 1,000 population, by 2015.

While stopping short of making new commitments, the countries are likely to mention the WHO figures as targets for strengthening their financial and other support to train and retain health workers, the sources said.

A draft of the envisioned document stresses the urgency for international cooperation, while calling for a better mechanism to deliver aid as this year marks the midpoint of the 2000-2015 MDGs, according to the sources.

It also stresses the importance of a multi-sectoral approach in dealing with the health issue which is interrelated with other development goals such as eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal access to primary education and securing environmental sustainability.

The ''sherpa'' personal representatives of G-8 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States are also discussing setting up a ''follow-up mechanism,'' such as having an annual report to ensure accountability.

An appendix to the draft guidelines lists existing G-8 commitments to support the global fight against infectious diseases and tackle other health-related issues, the sources said.

Japan played an important role in promoting efforts in tackling global health issues during its previous presidency in 2000, when it launched at the G-8 Kyushu Okinawa Summit the ''Okinawa Infectious Diseases Initiative.'' It led eventually to creation of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2002.

The fund now plays a central role in combating the three diseases that kill five million people each year.

However, issues remain due to the lack of comprehensive plans to secure basic infrastructure such as clinics and hospitals, training of doctors, nurses and other health workers, and necessary funds to pay salaries to retain such skilled workforce.

Fifty-seven countries, mostly in Africa and Asia, face a severe health workforce crisis. Among them, sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest challenges -- while it has 11 percent of the world's populations and 24 percent of the global burden of diseases, it has only 3 percent of the world's health workers.

The WHO estimates that filling the shortage in Africa alone would require training over 1.5 million more health workers, which will cost at least $7 billion a year.

Last November, Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura announced Japan's plan to propose the G-8 summit issue guidelines to improve maternal and child health in developing countries, including strengthening the healthcare system and boosting research and development.

Japan's call for stronger engagement in global health issues was also emphasized when it hosted the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in late May.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where many countries are likely to miss the eight-point set of MDGs by 2015 under current conditions, child mortality under five remains 20 times that in the developed world. The risk of pregnancy- and childbirth-related deaths for women is 200 times higher than in developed nations.