A WHO report released Monday at the Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, held in Recife, Brazil, “warned of the serious implications for billions worldwide due to the shortage of healthcare workers, which is estimated to grow to 12.9 million by 2035 from the current deficit of 7.2 million,” the U.N. News Centre reports (11/11). “The report, ‘A universal truth: No health without a workforce,’ identifies several key causes” for the shortage, including “an aging health workforce with staff retiring or leaving for better paid jobs without being replaced, while inversely, not enough young people are entering the profession or being adequately trained” as well as “[i]ncreasing demands … on the sector from a growing world population with risks of noncommunicable diseases,” a WHO press release notes (11/11). “The report recommends a number of actions to address workforce shortages, including increased political and technical leadership in countries to support long-term human resource development efforts, and maximizing the role of mid-level and community health workers to make frontline health services more accessible and acceptable,” the U.N. News Centre adds (11/11).