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The primary risk to health systems today isn’t just illness – it’s the growing shortage of trained professionals to provide care. What if you needed help, and no one was there? By 2030, the world will face a shortfall of over 11 million health workers. This global challenge will add pressure to Europe’s health systems, already grappling with ageing populations, increasing cross-border care needs, and widening skills gaps.
As WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently noted at the seventy-eighth World Health Assembly (WHA78), “Data and sustainable financing are not just technical matters. They are political choices. They shape who is reached, how quickly, and with what quality of care.”
In this spirit, health workforce challenges must be addressed not only through greater investment but through systemic transformation, built on equity, collaboration, and digital innovation.
The current shortfall and projected deficit threaten the capacity of health systems worldwide, particularly low- to middle-income regions striving to meet basic health expectations. The urgency of this challenge was underscored at the WHA78, where global decision-makers called for investment and innovation to address the rising health workforce challenges and diminishing resources.
To close the workforce gap, we must embrace new, collaborative, and digital-first approaches to health workforce development. Saudi Arabia is committed to contributing through partnerships grounded in shared goals and mutual benefit.
Why Current Models are Failing
While the global health workforce shortage narrowed from 15.4 million in 2020 to 14.7 million in 2023, progress is slowing, and projections of the workforce gap have been revised upward. The estimated workforce shortage for 2030 now stands at 11.1 million, up from a 2022 shortage estimate of 10.2 million. This slowdown is an indication that our current systems of training and maintaining a qualified health workforce are not sufficient to keep up with growing needs.
In the EU, workforce shortages have led to rising dependency on foreign-trained professionals, making ethical international cooperation and mutual recognition frameworks more critical than ever. The post-COVID era exposed these weaknesses, revealing bottlenecks in clinical training positions and a lack of skilled educators. Meanwhile, many skilled health workers migrate to wealthier nations in search of better conditions, exacerbating global inequalities. The problem is not just quantity but also the ability to mobilize and support professionals ethically and effectively.
Today, the issue is not merely one of supply. It is one of scalability, interoperability, and digital readiness. Talent exists, but the systems to move it efficiently and fairly do not.
From Crisis to Opportunity
The global health workforce crisis demands innovative, collaborative solutions. Recognizing this, as part of its Vision 2030 health sector transformation program, Saudi Arabia is investing in capacity building and digitalization to strengthen health systems.
As a technical partner, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS) is developing and implementing several tools and programs to support and strengthen workforce development, designed from the start to be scalable and adaptable globally.
We are using artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline credentialing, forecast workforce trends, and inform policy – reducing administrative burdens and boosting transparency.
Through our Global Workforce Exchange Program, developed in collaboration with 23 international partners, we facilitate structured exchanges that build resilience and enhance mutual capacity across systems. Pilots in mutual recognition of qualifications are removing cross-border regulatory bottlenecks and creating ethical pathways for skilled mobility aligned with health equity goals.
Recognizing professional wellbeing as essential to workforce sustainability, we launched the Health Professional Wellbeing initiative (DAEM) to support the mental health and wellbeing of health practitioners – a critical yet often overlooked aspect of retention and performance.
These initiatives are not confined to Saudi Arabia. We are working with over 53 local and international partners to build scalable and interoperable systems that benefit all – not through talent extraction but through co-developed and shared capacity. We see clear potential for deeper collaboration with European institutions and training bodies – especially on digital credentialing, ethical mobility, and knowledge exchange.
This approach to workforce development aligns with the WHA78’s broader call for resilient, flexible investment in interoperable, adaptive, data-informed workforce systems.
No country can close the workforce gap alone. It requires genuine multistakeholder collaboration and a shared commitment to prioritizing the health workforce as a global public good. If health is a global right, then the workforce behind it must be a global priority. Together, we can build resilient systems that empower professionals and advance global health security. We invite EU policymakers, health agencies, and civil society partners to co-create ethical, innovative, and people-first solutions that strengthen both global and European health resilience.
By Prof. Aws Alshamsan, RPh, MBA, PhD, Secretary-General of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties.
