Public health round-up

Governments need to create more jobs in the health sector to boost their economies and make progress in achieving their health goals, according to the High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth. In its final report released last month, the commission, co-chaired by President François Hollande of France and President Jacob Zuma of South Africa, made 10 recommendations to address the pressing need for health workers in many countries. The report proposes changes in health employment, health education and health service delivery policies and stresses that creating jobs in the health sector should be considered an investment, not a cost. Populations are ageing and there are increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases. To address these and other challenges, an estimated 40 million more health workers will be created globally to address the growing demands for health and social care by 2030, but by the same date a shortfall of 18 million health workers is projected, primarily in lowand middle-income countries. “To address this imbalance, the Commission’s report articulates a powerful narrative that views investments in the health workforce as contributing to more equitable health care, the creation of millions of decent jobs, and the promotion of economic growth that is inclusive, especially for youth and women,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO told the Regional Committee for Europe last month, Chan, who is co-vice-chair of the commission, along with Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Office and Angel Gurría, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development agreed to convene relevant stakeholders by the end of 2016 to develop a five-year implementation plan for the 10 recommendations. The report cites evidence that the returns on investment in health are estimated to be 9 to 1 and that about one quarter of economic growth between 2000 and 2011 in lowand middleincome countries is estimated to have resulted from improvements in health. The commission, set up by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in March, released its report at the United Nations General Assembly on 20 September.