The 2006 World Health Report focuses on the chronic shortages of doctors, midwives, nurses and other health care support workers in the poorest countries of the world where they are most needed. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, which has only four in every hundred global health workers but has a quarter of the global burden of disease, and less than one per cent of the world's financial resources. Poor working conditions, high rates of attrition due to illness and migration, and education systems that are unable to pick up the slack reflect the depth of the challenges in these crisis countries. This report considers the challenges involved and sets out a 10-year action plan designed to tackle the crisis over the next ten years, by which countries can strengthen their health system by building their health workforces and institutional capacity with the support of global partners.

The world is living dangerously - either because it has little choice or because it is making the wrong choices -- Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland WHO Director-General

"This World Health Report was produced under the overall direction of Carissa Etienne ... and Anarfi Asamoa Baah ... The principal writers were David B. Evans ... [et al] -- t.p. verso.

The World health statistics 2020 report is the latest annual compilation of health statistics for 194 Member States. It summarizes trends in life expectancy and causes of death and reports on progress towards the health and health related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and associated targets. Four indicators of emerging public health importance relating to poliomyelitis, hypertension and obesity in adults and school age children have been included. These are part of the WHO's Thirteenth General Programme of Work 2019-2023 (GPW13), which the 71st World Health Assembly approved in May 2018. The GPW13 is largely based on the SDGs and sets out WHO's strategic direction until 2023

"We have a real opportunity now to make progress that will mean longer healthier lives for millions of people.

The major causes of premature adult deaths in all regions of the world, due to chronic diseases such as heart disease, strokes, diabetes and cancer, have been generally neglected on the international health and development agenda. Four out of every five chronic disease-related deaths in the world occur in low and middle income countries, where people tend to develop these diseases at a younger age and to die sooner. The death toll is projected to rise by a further 17 per cent in the next 10 years, whilst child obesity rates are increasing worldwide. This report examines the actual scale and severity of the problem using the most recent data available, considers the major risk factors and associated trends, and discusses the public health policy actions required to implement effective integrated chronic disease prevention and control measures.

Includes table of health system attainment and performance in all member states (191), ranked by eight measures.

World Health Statistics 2006 presents the most recent statistics since 1997 of 50 health indicators for WHO's 192 Member States. This second edition includes an expanded set of statistics with a particular focus on equity between and within countries. It also introduces a section with 10 highlights in global health statistics for the past year. This book has been collated from publications and databases of WHO's technical programmes and regional offices. The core set of indicators was selected on the basis of relevance for global health availability and quality of data and accuracy and comparability of estimates. The statistics for the indicators are based on an interactive process of data collection compilation quality assessment and estimation between WHO technical programmes and its Member States. In this process WHO strives to maximize accessibility accuracy comparability and transparency of country health statistics. In addition to national statistics this publication presents statistics on the distribution of selected health outcomes and interventions within countries disaggregated by gender age urban/rural setting wealth/assets and educational level. Such statistics are primarily derived from the analysis of household surveys and are only available for a limited number of countries.