WMA Urges Stronger Global Action on Health Workforce as WHA78 Considers Key Resolution
Geneva, 19 May 2025 – As the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly continues in Geneva, the World Medical Association (WMA) is calling on governments and global health actors to place the health and care workforce at the heart of the World Health Organization’s agenda. This appeal comes ahead of the vote on a crucial resolution under Agenda Item 13.7, which focuses on the implementation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and progress on the Global Strategy on Human Resources for Health: Workforce 2030 together with 6 other resolutions on the health workforce.
The WMA convened a high-level side event on Sunday, 18 May, titled “Enhancing Collaboration and Solutions for Health Workforce Migration: Strengthening Global Health Systems for UHC.” The event brought together leaders from WHO, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), and representatives from health ministries and professional associations to address one of the most pressing challenges in global health: fair and ethical migration of healthcare professionals.
The Global Physician Migration Report—previewed at the event—underscores the magnitude of this challenge. According to 2021 WHO data, 111 countries fall below the global median of 20 physicians per 10,000 people, revealing stark inequities in workforce distribution. Many health professionals face systemic barriers in their countries of origin, including poor infrastructure, inadequate compensation, and limited postgraduate training opportunities. These conditions often force health workers into migration by necessity rather than choice.
“The rights, safety, and wellbeing of the health and care workforce must be safeguarded if we are to achieve universal health coverage. As we work towards UHC, let’s build a system where health professionals can move by choice, not by desperation.” emphasized Dr Ashok Philip, President of the WMA.
Dr Jack Resneck, Chair of Council of the WMA, highlighted key recommendations from the WMA’s Statement on Ethical Guidelines for the International Migration of Health Workers, including the need for transparent recruitment practices, investment in workforce sustainability in countries of origin, and addressing circular migration patterns that perpetuate inequity.
The WMA supports tailored national and regional solutions, as long as these efforts are matched by structural investments in source countries to prevent brain drain and ensure ethical recruitment.
Safeguarding those who deliver care is fundamental to building resilient, equitable, and sustainable health systems—systems capable of responding to future global challenges such as antimicrobial resistance, climate change, pandemic preparedness, and beyond. As the World Health Assembly deliberates on this resolution, the WMA reiterates its call to action: There is no health without health workforce.