WHO WE ARE

The world is facing a global health workforce crisis. Worldwide, there is an unequal distribution of and unequal access to skilled health workers. It is expected that by 2030, there will be 40 million more health sector jobs, mostly in middle- and high-income countries, while overall shortages of health workers is expected to increase to 18 million, especially affecting low and lower middle income countries. This will have a damaging impact on access to health services for these countries’ populations.

A CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION

At the 4th Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, the African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST), Medicus Mundi International (MMI), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Wemos organized a civil society session on ‘How can civil society spur action on ensuring health workers for all?’. It was agreed that there was a need to unite civil society worldwide active around human resources for health.

The Health Workers For All Coalition (HW4All Coalition) was established in May 2018 with the aim to increase the role of civil society organizations in global and national policy-making and spur action on human resources for health. By reigniting civil society advocacy for health workers for all, we want to contribute to fulfilling the right to health, decent working conditions, peaceful assembly, and to achieving Universal Health Coverage as well as the Sustainable Development Goals and targets.

In 2021, the HW4All Coalition was relaunched as a lively and democratic civil society community of independent, critical-thinking activists and organizations across Southern and Northern boundaries with the Political Declaration. It aims to coordinate actions and advocacy for health workers, based on civil society analysis in the field of global health workforce.