Matthew Lester/MCC
Prevention and treatment often dominate conversations about HIV/AIDS. While these are critical ingredients to combating the spread of HIV/AIDS, it is also necessary to address the need for strengthening health systems. Before a person can benefit from education about prevention or receive anti-retroviral treatment, a health care workforce must be in place.
Low-income countries currently face a severe shortage of health workers. Sub-Saharan Africa, where the bulk of MCC’s HIV/AIDS programming operates, is currently experiencing a shortage of 1.5 million health workers. In Africa, according to the WHO, 3% of the world’s health workers struggle to combat 24% of the global disease burden with less than 1% of the world’s health expenditures. A World Bank official has described the “desperate shortage” of health workers as the “most difficult challenge” in implementing HIV/AIDS treatment programs.
Last year’s reauthorization of PEPFAR, set the target of training and supporting the retention of at least 140,000 new health professionals. USAID has pledged to increase the number of community health workers by at least 100,000 by 2013 for maternal and child health programs.
These plans to increase the number of health care workers are essential to strengthening health systems and thereby improving prevention and treatment for HIV/AIDS.
This is the second in a series of weekly blog posts leading up to World AIDS Day on December 1. Click here to learn more about MCC’s HIV/AIDS programming and here to learn more about HIV/AIDS policy.
