Upskilling health workers enables technology to save lives

Across many low- and middle-income countries, cutting-edge medical equipment often goes unused due to a shortage of trained healthcare workers. To truly strengthen systems, we need to prioritise training and partnerships that build lasting local expertise.

In-person training programmes in Siemens Healthineers Academy Egypt on basic and advanced skills in radiology with a vendor agnostic approach. Photo: Siemens Healthineers

Picture rows of new, innovative medical equipment sitting in an empty room in a hospital. This equipment, meant to catch diseases early, reduce patient waiting time, and make healthcare workers more efficient, remains unused.

This is the case in many low-resource settings across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which have seen much recent investment in medical technology and equipment upgrading. However, workforce capabilities have not caught up, leaving devices with truly impactful outcomes underutilised.

Globally, 20–40% of all health spending is wasted, largely due to health workforce inefficiencies, according to a 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) report. The WHO projects a global shortage of 11 million healthcare workers by 2030, reflecting not only a skills gap driven by growing demand from ageing populations and chronic diseases, but also a shortage rooted in insufficient qualifications and inadequate training to keep pace with emerging technologies such as AI, telemedicine, and digital health tools.

The severity of the problem has been recognised by the global health community, as seen with the adoption of the WHO resolution on strengthening medical imaging capacity earlier this year. This resolution urges Member States to commit to sufficient and continuous training for healthcare workers, especially those involved in medical imaging, to improve diagnosis of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

To address this workforce gap, there is a need, particularly in LMICs, for accelerated investment in education through innovative training programs that bridge traditional methods with new technologies to meet future healthcare needs. This missing link is one of the most concerning threats to the future success of healthcare systems in countries that need improvement the most.

Counting the cost of brain drain in LMICs

‘Brain drain’ is a phenomenon where skilled and qualified healthcare professionals leave to search for opportunities abroad, usually in higher-income countries. Brain drain has cost LMICs more US$15 billion in lost economic growth. In Africa alone, it is estimated that 70,000 skilled professionals leave the country each year, and that annually the continent loses US$2 billion through brain drain in the health sector.

The departure of skilled workers is worsening the rising NCD crisis as it reduces essential capacity to prevent, diagnose, and manage conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Since 82% of premature NCD deaths occur in LMICs, addressing brain drain is essential to reducing preventable death.

Aiming for synergy not siloes

International stakeholders are leading the way in spearheading cross-industry partnerships to provide workers at all levels with access to proper equipment and platforms to learn and practice in-demand skills. These quality professional development opportunities, with multiple parties involved to pool knowledge and financing, are essential incentive mechanisms to attract and retain talent in the healthcare sector.

Upskilling radiographers in Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania on the latest applications in imaging. Photo: Siemens Healthineers

Radiology and surgery are two notable under-skilled and understaffed healthcare segments. Some LMICs have fewer than one radiologist per 100,000 population, compared to 20 or more in high-income countries. Many LMICs also struggle to provide immediate, quality surgical care, which is problematic as trauma is a leading cause of death and disability. The Global Surgery Foundation (GSF) estimated that 143 million more surgeries are needed every year in LMICs to save lives and prevent life-long disability.

Collaborations between international professional associations, industry, and academia are filling these knowledge gaps. For example, a C-arm imaging and radiation safety in the operating room course is accessible through the United Nations’ SURGhub. It was developed through AO Alliance, the University of British Columbia, Global Surgery Lab, Siemens Healthineers, and the GSF. It provides essential training for hundreds of healthcare professionals in resource-limited settings to safely use C-arm technology, reducing trauma-related complications and death from incidents such as road accidents and climate disasters such as earthquakes.

Public-private partnerships an optimal solution

No one solution or entity can combat the healthcare workforce shortage alone. Real impact happens when governments link with industry. For example, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) partnered with local universities, the Ministry of Health, the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), and Siemens Healthineers to provide immersive training for more than 100 healthcare professionals in Ukraine with skills ranging from basic to advanced.

This training is designed to support the specific needs of patients in Ukraine and bridge the current competency gap in radiology affected by the conflict. It also presents an opportunity to integrate a curriculum co-created with the Ministry of Health into the national education pathway, strengthening long-term capacity building in the healthcare system.

Retaining talent through centres of excellence

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) can also take the form of jointly built and operated centres of excellence (COEs). COEs are being established with local governments regionally to attract and retain talent within Africa. For example, in Egypt, Siemens Healthineers established a partnership with the Ministry of Health and local academic institutions to provide tailored educational programs to about 2,000 participants from across the continent. This training is unique because it provides vendor-agnostic training, meaning participants can apply the skills they learn across different types of equipment used in various African countries.

These partnerships make a difference because healthcare workers are being trained with the intention to stay in the country or wider region and help local healthcare systems thrive. If matched with government commitments to implement policies and incentives such as sufficient compensation and conditions, these training investments and partnerships have long-term retention benefits by strengthening the healthcare system at its core, which will result in more workers staying at home.

Training partnerships need to be the norm

With global health funding in a more vulnerable state than ever, industry partnerships are essential to keep people healthy and alive. It is critical for healthcare professionals to work as effectively and efficiently as possible, given that that more than 55% of NGOs have been impacted due to US health funding cuts.

Ultimately, skills breed sustainability, which forms the basis of health equity. In addition to averting 189 million years of life lost to early death and disability, it is estimated that closing the healthcare worker gap could add US$1.1 trillion to the global economy. This approach allows scarce resources to be most efficiently allocated to where they are needed, contributing to long-term sustainability of healthcare systems and better access for patients.

Advancing new forms of education and training partnerships and co-investments involving multiple parties at regional levels is evidently one of the most effective ways of making the global healthcare system more resilient. Governments and private companies must continue to work together to trial new partnership models, especially when it comes to investing in human capital and skills, based on specific resource integration and common goals. Countries should work towards institutionalising PPPs for future adaptation based on new scenarios and local settings.

With trust in place and next practices set, the entire healthcare system can translate its resources into valuable benefits for patients, strengthening reach and resiliency for the long term.

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The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Re:solve Global Health.

Dr Hagen Weissapfel is the director of education and services for emerging markets at Siemens Healthineers. With more than a decade of experience implementing capacity-building projects and innovative business models, he is dedicated to expanding healthcare solutions in underserved regions. He is passionate about forging partnerships to enhance care delivery and improve patient outcomes.