Women now make up nearly 70 per cent of health workers worldwide but remain concentrated in lower-paid professions with fewer leadership opportunities, according to a new Global Burden of Disease study.

The study estimated that 34.4 million additional doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists and pharmacists would be needed to achieve moderate universal health coverage, with the largest shortages in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Published on The Lancet medical journal website on Tuesday, the study was conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent population health research organisation.

IHME is based at the University of Washington School of Medicine and works with collaborators worldwide to develop timely, relevant and scientifically valid evidence on global health.

Based on Global Burden of Disease 2023 estimates, the study published the first global, sex-disaggregated estimates of 20 health worker cadres across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023.

The cadres include doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists, and community health workers, and the study provides the first global estimates of community health workers.

The study found that women’s dominance in the workforce had not translated into equal economic or professional advancement, as they remained concentrated in lower-paid occupations.

The global health workforce nearly tripled between 1990 and 2023, yet major shortages remain, the report stated, noting that women also had fewer opportunities to progress into leadership positions despite their substantial contribution to healthcare delivery.

The findings were particularly significant for sub-Saharan Africa, one of the regions facing the largest health workforce shortages globally.

The report noted that the shortage threatened efforts to expand healthcare access and achieve universal health coverage, particularly in countries with inadequate numbers and uneven distribution of trained professionals.

The study therefore called for stronger workforce planning, education, recruitment and retention, alongside investments that address gender inequalities within the sector.

It recommended gender-responsive policies, including leadership development, workplace protections, paid parental leave and flexible work arrangements, to support women throughout their health careers.

According to the study, closing global workforce gaps will require sustained investment in health worker education, recruitment, retention and supportive working conditions.

For sub-Saharan Africa, the study affirmed that such investments could increase the number of trained professionals while improving their distribution and retention in underserved communities.

According to the study, data can support targeted workforce policies by showing where shortages exist and how health workers are distributed across countries and professional groups.

It highlighted that the projected requirement for 34.4 million additional health professionals underscored the scale of the challenge facing countries seeking to expand healthcare coverage.

Achieving universal health coverage, the study noted, would require governments to plan for both the number and composition of health workers needed to meet future demand.

It said the workforce density benchmarks provided countries with a measurable basis for assessing whether their health systems have enough professionals to deliver essential services.

The study emphasised that building a well-supported health workforce was essential to expand access to care and prepare health systems for future challenges.

For Africa, it noted that the findings reinforced the need for sustained investment in health worker education, recruitment, retention and leadership to strengthen health systems and improve access.

According to the report, the study provides policymakers with a broader evidence base for designing health workforce strategies and allocating resources.

It emphasised that expanding healthcare access would depend not only on increasing the number of health workers, but also on ensuring they were adequately supported and fairly treated.

(NAN)