WHO warns of medic shortages as migration rises

Europe’s dependence on foreign-trained doctors and nurses has cross-border ripple effects, finds new WHO/Europe report.

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that southern and eastern European countries are losing large numbers of doctors and nurses to work abroad.

A new WHO report shows that in Europe in 2023, six in 10 doctors were trained outside the region, with the share even higher for nurses.

Given these findings – and the growing reliance of western and northern Europe on foreign health workers – the WHO has called for fairer and more sustainable health worker migration.

WHO’s Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat noted that each migrating doctor or nurse leaves a “strain on families and on the national health systems they left behind.” By 2030, Europe could face a shortfall of almost one million health workers.

Romania has managed to slow the outflow of doctors by improving pay, training, and working conditions, reducing departures from 1,500 to 461 in recent years.

Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Singapore top the Global Innovation Index 2025, published by the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

The UK, Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark also made the top 10, joined for the first time by China. But WIPO warned that slowing investment in innovation clouds future prospects.

Middle-income economies such as China, India (38th) and Türkiye (43rd) have advanced steadily, while Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Brazil, Mauritius, Bahrain and Jordan recorded the fastest progress in recent years.

Nigeria has failed to adequately protect women and girls from abduction, forced marriage and sexual violence, according to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

CEDAW described the failure as “systematic and grave violations.” The committee highlighted the 2014 Chibok school abduction by Boko Haram, stressing that over 1,400 students have since been kidnapped in similar attacks.

Sunscreen back on WHO essential medicines list

Independent UN experts welcomed the WHO’s decision to restore sunscreen to its essential medicines list, calling it a “lifesaving measure” for people with albinism.

They said the move could improve life expectancy, but its success depends on governments integrating sunscreen into health systems and ensuring wide access.