Adamson S. Muula1,2
- Editor-in-Chief, Malawi Medical Journal, Blantyre, Malawi
- Professor and Head, Department of Community and Environmental Health, School of Global and Public Health, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi
Corresponding Author: Adamson Muula, E-mail: amuula@kuhes.ac.mw
The State of the health workforce in Africa 2026 presents not only an informative report but also a challenging one in so far as what actions need to be taken by African governments. Unlike past conversations which identified the shortages of health professionals and largely called for increased production, the 2026 report notes the shortages, but also identifies the increased production to plug the gaps. The availability of highly trained health workers who remain idle as national budgets cannot fully absorb them into the work place is an unusual Africa problem. This is happening also when many countries and strategists continue to be anti-migration of health professionals from Africa. One therefore rightly wonders whose interests are being served by such policy decisions.
The State of the health workforce in Africa 2026 compared to previous ones is that is mostly similar in that while the availability and distribution of clinical staff is well described, little attention is made to outline clearly what are the shortages in health professionals in research and evidence generation, as well as in leadership and management. For instance, what is the basic minimum of doctors and nurses are required in a ministry for health headquarters?
The State of the health workforce in Africa 2026 has reported that there were an estimated 5.72 million health workers. This number represents an improvement in density of core professionals from 22 to 24 per 10 000 population since 2022. These improvements need to be celebrated and represent investments by national governments, bilateral and multilateral partners and the sacrifices and commitments of health educationist and trainers in all the concerned countries.