WHO: World needs 6 million nurses to cover ‘alarming shortage’ – The National

WHO: World needs 6 million nurses to cover ‘alarming shortage’ – The National

WHO: world needs 6 million nurses to cover 'alarming shortage'. Ahmed Al Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said the coronavirus crisis made World Health Day 2020 even more meaningful. The World Health Organisation has called for six million more nurses worldwide by 2030 to deal with an "alarming shortage" of staff globally.. Nurses account for 59 per cent of the world's healthcare staff.. Dr Al Mandhari made the comments on World Health Day 2020, for which the theme is nursing and midwifery.. Nurses are at the frontline of battling pandemics like #COVID19 .. The coronavirus pandemic, which has infected over 1.3 million people and killed over 75,000, is a stark reminder of the importance of nursing staff, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.. "Nurses are the backbone of any health system," he said.. "Today, many nurses find themselves on the frontline in the battle against Covid-19," he said and called for ensuring "the support they need to keep the world healthy".. The tributes came as medical staff around the world protested against ill treatment and lack of protection during the outbreak.. A host of public figures tweeted messages of thanks to nurses and other healthcare staff