WHO sees urgent need for 4 mln more health workers

GENEVA, May 26 (Reuters) More than four million more doctors, nurses, midwives and health workers are urgently needed to ease worldwide shortages, which are most acute in Africa.

At its annual assembly in Geneva, the United Nations agency formed a taskforce to help countries better manage their health needs and find ways to attract and retain qualified workers.

The WHO said yesterday 57 countries, of which 36 are in sub-Saharan Africa, have severe shortages of health workers, causing lapses in childhood immunisation, birthing assistance and other needs.

''The inadequacy of the health workforce in many developing countries is a major obstacle to providing essential life-saving health services to millions of people who lack access now,'' WHO Assistant Director-General Timothy Evans said.

Initial partners of the new Global Health Workforce Alliance include the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, the International Council of Nurses, and development and health agencies from Canada, Norway, Thailand and the European Union.

The group will seek to support the education of health workers by encouraging partnerships between schools in rich and poor countries, including student and faculty exchanges.

It also aims to create ''planning teams'' in each country facing health worker shortages, made up of academic leaders, to develop national health workforce strategies to help countries find ways to fill gaps quickly.

REUTERS SRS KN1030