Latest news with #StateoftheWorld'sNursing2025
India Today
6 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Short staffed, overburdened, undervalued: India's nursing deficit deepens
A critical shortage of nurses is emerging as one of the biggest challenges facing healthcare systems globally, and India is no exception. From hospitals to home care, the gap between demand and available staff is widening fast.A new report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) states that by 2030, the world is projected to face a shortage of 11 million health workers, including is an increase from the previous estimate of 10 million. The WHO's State of the World's Nursing 2025, paints a concerning picture of global healthcare 70% of this shortfall will hit Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, but India, despite strides in health coverage, finds itself staring at a parallel crisis: an overburdened, undertrained, and rapidly thinning nursing the global number of nurses rose to 29.8 million in 2023, the distribution remains alarmingly unequal. Developed nations, with just 17% of the world's population, employ nearly half of all nurses, leaving populous, low- and middle-income countries, including India, with deeply inadequate nurse-to-patient global average stands at 37 nurses per 10,000 people, but in many parts of Asia and Africa, the figure is five to ten times India, that imbalance plays out every day in hospitals, clinics, and elder care homes. The current nurse-to-population ratio of 1:670 is significantly below the WHO's recommended 1:300, and the situation is even more dire in geriatric care. India, despite strides in health coverage, finds itself staring at a parallel crisis: an overburdened, undertrained, and rapidly thinning nursing workforce. (Photo: PTI) India has around 150 million people aged 60 and above, a number expected to nearly double by according to Hoilenchong Sitlhou, senior nurse and geriatric care expert at Antara Care Homes, training and retention of skilled nurses remain key challenges."We are stretched thin. In senior care especially, where patients often require personalised attention and emotional support, inadequate nurse staffing can compromise both medical outcomes and human dignity," Sitlhou tells insights strongly reinforce the WHO's call for urgent reforms. The report highlights that while 80% of nurses are now professionally trained, many lower-income countries, including India, lack the infrastructure, faculty, or standardised curricula to produce highly skilled nurses in critical areas like dementia care, palliative support, or chronic disease Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) programs have opened doors for vocational entry, but as Sitlhou explains, these often fail to bridge the skill gap in high-need areas."Most CNAs don't get adequate hands-on training for geriatric or dementia care. Without structured upskilling or growth paths, they either stagnate or leave the system altogether," she says. The current nurse-to-population ratio of 1:670 is significantly below the WHO's recommended 1:300. (Photo: PTI) Even though the Indian Nursing Council has proposed reforms to standardise and strengthen curriculum, especially for geriatric specialisations, implementation has been uneven, and training remains heavily concentrated in urban centres."In rural areas, both patients and young nurses lose out. The few nurses trained in geriatric care end up migrating to cities or abroad," she is another key concern, both globally and for India. The WHO report warns that unless governments address poor working conditions, low pay, and lack of career progression, the "brain drain" of nurses will is a top exporter of trained nurses, with over 60,000 Indian nurses working abroad, drawn by better wages and safer, better-resourced environments."To retain nurses, we need competitive pay, better nurse-patient ratios, and a culture of professional respect. A single nurse managing five to six seniors with complex needs and no backup support, that's not sustainable. And it takes a toll on us too," said the senior nurse at Anatara. India is a top exporter of trained nurses, with over 60,000 Indian nurses working abroad. (Photo: AFP) At Antara Care Homes, a healthcare service providing at-home care for elderly patients, nurse-to-patient ratios are adjusted according to clinical need, ranging from 1:1 to 1: organisation has also developed its own in-house geriatric training, accredited by the Healthcare Sector Skill Council, and partnered with Dementia India Alliance to roll out protocols in dementia small pockets of excellence, however, remain the exception, not the there is an urgent need for system-wide investment in nursing education and workforce planning. That includes adding more seats in nursing colleges, improving curriculum content, and creating pathways for continuous upskilling, especially in ageing-related health issues that are set to dominate India's healthcare landscape. Nationwide, there is an urgent need for system-wide investment in nursing education and workforce planning. () advertisementThe WHO report notes that while the global stock of nurses may grow to 36 million by 2030, the inequity in distribution will persist unless deliberate, data-driven workforce planning is India, the Nurses Registration and Tracking System, linked with Aadhaar, offers a real-time snapshot of nurse availability. But experts argue it must be leveraged more effectively to anticipate regional gaps and allocate resources both the global findings and ground-level experiences converge on one central truth: nurses are the backbone of healthcare. Whether in an ICU, a rural Primary Health Centre, or a dementia ward, they are often the first point of contact and the last line of their well-being, training, and retention is not just a policy goal, it's a public health imperative. advertisement
Hi Dubai
13-05-2025
- Health
- Hi Dubai
UAE Leads Launch of Global Nursing Report with WHO in Regional Spotlight
The UAE has taken center stage in shaping the future of global healthcare by hosting the Eastern Mediterranean launch of the 'State of the World's Nursing 2025' report in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO). The virtual event, held by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) and Emirates Health Services (EHS), brought together senior officials and health leaders from across the region. Unveiled in conjunction with International Nurses Day, the report presents a comprehensive review of the global nursing workforce and outlines strategic recommendations to tackle pressing challenges, including an anticipated shortfall of 4.1 million nurses by 2030. The findings reveal stark disparities, with 78% of nurses concentrated in countries serving only 49% of the global population. Dr. Mohammed Salim Al Olama, MoHAP Undersecretary, said the report provides a forward-looking roadmap to strengthen nursing across the region. He highlighted the UAE's continued leadership since contributing to the first SoWN report in 2020, noting that its national strategy for nursing and midwifery is aligned with global standards and underpinned by innovation and advanced technologies. Dr. Yousif Mohamed AlSerkal, Director-General of EHS, emphasized the UAE's commitment to empowering nurses and ensuring sustainable, high-performing healthcare systems. He said the UAE's involvement reflects its long-term investment in healthcare talent and its role in driving regional and global progress. Dr. Sumaya Al Blooshi, head of the National Committee for Nursing and Midwifery, called the UAE's hosting of the launch a testament to its efforts in building a modern, institutional framework for the profession. The report also underscores the urgent need for policy reforms and international cooperation to ensure equitable healthcare access worldwide. News Source: Emirates News Agency
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Low- and middle-income countries face challenges in graduating, employing, and retaining nurses in health systems: WHO report
Low- and middle-income countries are facing challenges in graduating, employing, and retaining nurses in their health systems, and would have to raise domestic investments to create and sustain jobs, the latest 'State of the World's Nursing 2025' report from the World Health Organization (WHO) has found. Low-income countries are increasing nurse graduate numbers at a faster pace than high-income countries, the report says. In many countries, hard-earned gains in the graduation rate of nurses are not resulting in improved densities due to the faster pace of population growth and lower employment opportunities. To address this, countries should create jobs to ensure graduates are hired and integrated into the health system, and improve working conditions, the report says. High-income countries have to be prepared to manage high levels of retiring nurses, and review their reliance on foreign-trained nurses, strengthening bilateral agreements with the countries they recruit from, the report says. The findings suggest that one in seven nurses worldwide, and 23% of nurses in high-income countries, are foreign-born, highlighting reliance on international migration. In contrast, the proportion of foreign-born nurses is significantly lower in upper middle-income countries (8%), lower middle-income countries (1%), and low-income countries (3%). The report finds that the global nursing workforce grew from 27.9 million in 2018 to 29.8 million in 2023, but wide disparities in the availability of nurses remains across regions and countries. The report, published in collaboration with the International Council of Nurses and other partners, finds that inequities in the global nursing workforce leave many of the world's population without access to essential health services, which could threaten progress towards universal health coverage, global health security, and the health-related development goals. The evidence indicates global progress in reducing the nursing workforce shortage from 6.2 million in 2020 to 5.8 million in 2023, with a projection to decline to 4.1 million by 2030. But the overall progress still masks deep regional disparities — approximately 78% of the world's nurses are concentrated in countries representing just 49% of the global population, the report says. Also, gender and equity remain central concerns in the nursing workforce. Women continue to dominate the profession, making up 85% of the global nursing workforce. The report, however, states that mental health and workforce well-being remain areas of concern. Only 42% of responding countries have provisions for nurses' mental health support, despite increased workloads and trauma experienced during and since the COVID-19 pandemic. 'Addressing this is essential to retain skilled professionals and ensure quality of care,'' the WHO said. The report is based on data provided by 194 countries via the National Health Workforce Accounts portal, which revealed a 33% increase in the number of countries reporting data since the previous 2020 edition of the report.
