WHO (2013) Transforming and scaling health professionals’ education and training. World Health Organisation Guidelines.

With this publication, WHO issues its first guidelines for ‘Transforming and Scaling up Health Professionals’ Education and Training’.

The guidelines are expected to give rise to regional and country based policy and technical dialogues with key stakeholders in education, health, finance and labour, on how best to finance health professionals’ training and prepare health professionals for the 21st century.

The guidelines draw on the most recent evidence on what underpins the concept of transforming health professionals’ education to frame the recommendations. The global health community has been made aware through reports, global meetings and policy dialogues, that there is a severe health workforce crisis in 57 countries globally as stated in the 2006 World Health Report. However these workforce shortages are by no means con ned to the 57 countries most severely affected. In virtually every country, shortages have been accompanied by an imbalance in skill mix of teams and uneven geographical distribution of health professionals, leaving millions without access to health services.