The World Health Organization on 14^th March this year released the 2023 “WHO Health Workforce support and Safeguard List”. The list identifies a total of 55 countries including Ghana that are considered vulnerable for availability of health workers required to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal target for universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030. This means that the countries included in the WHO health workforce support and safeguards list 2023 have a UHC service coverage index below 55 and health workforce density below the global median. That is, 49 medical doctors, nursing, and midwifery personnel per 10,000 people.

According to the World Health Organization, the devastating effect of Covid-19 on healthcare services has resulted in a surge in recruitment of health workers internationally which could be detrimental to health systems and hinder achievement of the Universal Health Coverage.

The United Kingdom recently published a list of countries on the red list based upon the World Health Organisation Workforce Support and Safeguard List, 2023. This means there cannot be active recruitment of healthcare workers by employers in these countries. However, this doesn’t prevent individual health workers from independently applying to health and social care employers for employment in the UK, of their own accord.

RED LIST COUNTRIES