Urgent training needed to address growing gap in the Asia Pacific health workforce

Training for health workers, including those based in communities where access to services is limited, is urgently needed to address the growing gap in the Asia Pacific health workforce, say leaders in the sector.

The global shortage of health workers could reach more than 10 million by 2030, according to a departmental update by the WHO Western Pacific Region, which stressed the importance of “lifelong learning” of health workers and the sharing of science-based health knowledge.

Countries in the Pacific are particularly affected by the shortage due to their high population density and greater impacts from climate-related disasters, and as many health workers move abroad to seek better opportunities.

Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO regional director for Western Pacific, said countries in the region were working together to improve education and training and achieve a more equitable distribution of health professionals.

He said there was an urgent need “to work with academic institutions to develop and implement training programmes” to respond to the evolving needs of the health-care sector.

In countries like the Philippines and Pacific-island states such as Fiji, Micronesia and the Cook Islands the shortage is severely limiting access to quality health care services, aggravated by insufficient educational opportunities for would-be health workers, members of a Philippine-led health collaborative said at a

The Philippines has become the world’s largest exporter of nurses, accounting for 25 per cent of all overseas nurses worldwide.

More than half the country’s licensed nurses have left the country to work abroad, according to WHO estimates, resulting in a domestic shortage of 127,000 health  . Many are attracted by better pay overseas. In countries such as the US, for instance, Filipino nurses can earn 15 times more than those working in the Philippines.

Retention strategies

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines ordered restrictions on health workers moving abroad, a move that was strongly criticised by health unions in the country.

Instead, unions suggested measures such as salary increases, prompt provision of benefits, and filling vacant government positions to enhance employment, local working conditions and encourage workers to stay.

Another strategy that the Philippines has implemented is to incorporate community health workers at the village, or barangay level. The country is engaging large networks of community health workers to provide services to underserved populations, especially in remote areas, according to analysis published this month. It said community health workers were helping with family planning, mental health education, and substance abuse prevention.

However, while the barangay health workers have become an important part of the country’s health system, they have no fixed salary as they are considered volunteers and are only entitled to a limited government allowance.

“To be effective they need supervision from qualified health workers, as well as remuneration, strong training, and career development pathways,” said Sara Bennett, professor and vice chair at the international health department of the US-based Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“They are part of the solution, but not the whole solution,” she added.