2030 तक वैश्विक स्वास्थ्य कार्यबल की कमी की चेतावनी

Friday 18 September 2026 - 18:15

Health systems worldwide are facing mounting pressure to maintain adequate staffing levels as demand for medical services continues to rise. The situation is being compounded by the ageing of the healthcare workforce itself, with a significant share of doctors and other health professionals approaching retirement age.

The World Health Organization has warned that the global shortage of health and care workers could reach 11.1 million by 2030, highlighting persistent inequalities in the availability and distribution of medical professionals across countries and regions.

The latest data examined by the organization, covering 122 countries, show that roughly one in four doctors is aged over 55. This ageing profile raises concerns about the number of experienced professionals who could leave the workforce in the coming years and the ability of health systems to replace them quickly enough.

The challenge is particularly pronounced in high-income countries, where around one-third of doctors are over the age of 55. While these countries generally have greater healthcare resources, they are also confronting the need to renew their medical workforce as experienced professionals approach retirement.

At the same time, demographic changes are increasing demand for healthcare services. Longer life expectancy and the growing proportion of older people are expected to generate greater needs for chronic disease management, long-term care and specialized medical services. This creates a difficult balance for health systems already dealing with shortages in several areas.

The combination of workforce ageing and rising healthcare needs could widen the gap between the number of professionals available and the services required by populations. The pressure is also unevenly distributed, with some countries facing much more severe shortages than others because of differences in training capacity, working conditions, migration patterns and access to healthcare education.

The WHO data underline the importance of long-term workforce planning, including expanding education and training opportunities, improving working conditions and developing strategies to retain health professionals. Governments and healthcare institutions are also being encouraged to anticipate demographic changes rather than relying solely on short-term recruitment measures.

Closing the projected gap will require sustained investment in health education and workforce development, as well as stronger international cooperation. Preparing new generations of healthcare professionals while supporting existing workers could prove essential to ensuring that health systems are able to meet changing population needs by the end of the decade.