Even before the pandemic, there was an extensive shortage of, among other things, doctors and nurses, and it has worsened. Above all, the situation is serious in Europe and Central Asia, which the WHO highlighted in a report as early as autumn 2022.
There is also no indication that the situation will improve. Recent years have been characterized by extensive strikes as a result of tough working conditions. In France, for example, over 100,000 healthcare workers went on strike in November 2022. The UK, Germany and Ireland were also hit by widespread strikes last year.
Within the next few years, at least 12 million new nurses will be needed, according to a report from the international organization International Council of Nurses, states Sweden’s Radio Echo.
“The staffing crisis in the health care sector is no longer a threat – it is here and now,” says WHO European Director Hans Kluge in a press release.
A meeting in the Romanian capital of Bucharest this week, organized by the WHO and Romania, resulted in a declaration calling on European countries to invest in their healthcare systems.