While the demand for public health professionals is currently high in the United States, professionals trained in the United States are also in demand around the world. Public health professionals work in colleges and universities, health agencies, community organizations, secondary schools, clinics and hospitals. Qualified professionals, such as those who have earned a Master’s in Public Health degree, act as outreach specialists, managed care administrators, policy analysts, vaccination researchers, injury epidemiologists, maternal and child health specialists and registered nurses. The following countries currently have a high demand for qualified public health professionals.
India
According to the World Health Organization, India requires more than 10,000 professionals a year in the public health field in order for the Indian government health system to function. Currently, there are approximately 400 available professionals. The World Health Organization is advocating for health professionals that are able to develop and maintain programs for polio eradication and tuberculosis control. In addition, the country faces a severe shortage of healthcare professionals in general and a need for significant government financial assistance, leading to a healthcare crisis.
Vietnam
In the past, Vietnam has faced extreme poverty and restructuring following years of war. Recently, the cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City experienced growth and prosperity but the current economic difficulties once again risk straining the nation’s resources. Rural areas in Vietnam still face extreme poverty, orphaned children and difficulties with obtaining potable drinking water.
The Vietnam Public Health Association has outlined several areas of concern in Vietnam that must be addressed by public health professionals. Elderly health, tobacco control, injury prevention and cancer prevention are large areas of concern. In addition, obtaining clean drinking water for all citizens, working towards a higher rate of literacy and addressing concerns with single parenthood all are areas of concern. Finally, the VPHA suggests that intervention activities be developed in order to mitigate the harmful effects of Agent Orange and Dioxin.
Democratic Republic of Congo
There is a significant demand for public health professionals in all of sub-Saharan Africa. The region serves 682 million people and holds more than 25% of the world’s disease burden. There are currently only 750,000 health workers total, including public health professionals. There is an estimated need for more than a million doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and public health professionals. The nation of Congo has one of the highest needs for public health professionals in Africa and in the world.
Congo has a significant need for individuals qualified to train health professionals in addition to educate the general public about public health issues. According to the World Health Organization, more than three million people have died in the past five years from preventable and treatable diseases, due in large part to a minimally-functioning public health infrastructure. Six out of ten children do not reach their fifth birthday and at least 400,000 people have experienced sexual and gender-based violence. Malaria and HIV remain significant threats to the citizens of Congo, in addition to malnutrition, diarrhea, respiratory infections and natural disasters. The nation also faces frequent epidemics from diseases such as cholera, pertussis, Ebola, measles, Marburg hemorrhagic fever and trypanosomiasis.
Careers in the public health field continue to be in demand in the United States. However, issues of poverty and poor public health infrastructure have made many developing countries targets for increasing public health efforts. As a result, many of these developing nations, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Vietnam and India face a high demand for public health professionals in order to solve significant health crises in the developing world.