About 26.57 percent of doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, and pharmacists (health workers) are unemployed despite severe staff shortages facing African hospitals and clinics.
Despite a tripling of the overall health worker stock from 1.6 million in 2013 to 5.1 million in 2022—according to the latest World Health Organisation Health Workforce Report—many skilled and qualified professionals remain unemployed or underemployed, threatening both their livelihoods and the health of the population.
At the same time, one of every 10 regional doctors or nurses works abroad, while around 42 percent of health workers intend to migrate, with the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Ireland, and Australia being the top destinations.