I'm Steve Ember with the VOA Special English Development Report.
The World Health Organization says 57 nations in southern Africa and
Southeast Asia are facing a serious shortage of health care workers. This crisis
is affecting how governments fight diseases and improve health. The W.H.O says
more than four million additional doctors, nurses and other health workers are
urgently needed to improve the situation.
The warning came in a new W.H.O. report released on April 7th -- World Health
Day. The report says the health care crisis is most severe in southern Africa.
The continent has 11 percent of the world's population, but only 3 percent of
the world's health care workers.
The report warns that the ability of poor countries to provide important
life-saving services is in danger. In addition, many patients are not able to
get the treatments they need for diseases like AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
W.H.O. official Timothy Evans says part of the problem is caused by rich
nations that offer high-paying jobs to doctors and nurses from poor countries.
In addition, Mister Evans says few trained health care professionals are working
where they are most needed. Those in poor countries usually work in cities
instead of farming areas.
The W.H.O. report provides a ten-year plan to deal with the crisis. It calls
for national leadership and new policies for health workers. It also urges more
international assistance and foreign aid. The report says that nations facing
the most serious shortages must increase health care spending.
Effective use of public money for health care was also the subject of an
international conference this month in Beijing, China. Researchers presented
three books that describe cost-effective answers to health problems in
developing countries. The books recommended simple things. They include speed
barriers on roads to help reduce the number of traffic accidents. Another idea
is to give aspirin to people to help prevent heart attacks and strokes.
The books are designed for policy makers, health program supervisors and aid
groups.
The Disease Control Priorities Project published the books. They are free to
anyone with a computer. To learn more, visit the project's web site at
http://www.dcp2.org/. A link is provided at voaspecialenglish.com.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Jill Moss. I'm
Steve Ember.
