IV 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 419 

Recognizing the importance of frontline health workers toward accelerating 

progress on global health and saving the lives of women and children, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 

Mrs. LOWEY (for herself and Mr. CRENSHAW) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the importance of frontline health workers toward accelerating progress on global health and saving 

the lives of women and children, and for other purposes. 

Whereas United States leadership and investment has led to 

dramatic successes in global health, including the reduction of child mortality by 49 percent in the last 2 decades, the reduction of new HIV infections by 50 percent 

in 25 low- and middle-income countries, a decrease in 

deaths from malaria by 47 percent, and the halving of 

maternal mortality rates; 

Whereas strong health systems in developing countries, including a well-trained, well-equipped, and well-supported 

health workforce and access to health care are vital for 

these successes to continue and to ensure that the United 


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States investment in global health programs is effective 

and sustainable; 

Whereas nations with healthy populations are more likely to 

be productive, prosperous, and peaceful, while countries 

with poorer health are more prone to instability, conflict, 

and extremism; 

Whereas the 2015 United States National Security Strategy 

cites increasing global health security as a national security priority, and well-supported and well-trained frontline health workers are critical to building country capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to disease outbreaks; 

Whereas frontline health workers are the first and often the 

only link to health care for millions of people living in the 

developing world, providing services where they are most 

needed, especially in remote and rural areas; 

Whereas frontline health workers include individuals serving 

in a range of capacities such as community health workers, midwives, local pharmacists, nurses, and doctors; 

Whereas the empowerment of women within the health workforce is critical to saving lives; 

Whereas frontline health workers provide families with access 

to a range of simple, affordable, life-saving care to help 

prevent and treat infections, improve nutrition, increase 

coverage of vaccines, ensure healthy outcomes for mothers and newborns, fight diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV, and encourage proper water, sanitation, 

and hygiene practices; 

Whereas the presence of properly trained and well-supported 

frontline health workers is key to the success of United 

States global health programs, including its efforts to 

achieve the global goals of ending preventable child and 


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maternal deaths, fostering an AIDS-free generation, and 

ensuring global health security; 

Whereas it can cost as little as $300 to train a frontline 

health worker in crucial life-saving skills, making investments in frontline health workers one of the most cost effective ways to save lives; 

Whereas partnerships with faith-based organizations, humanitarian non-governmental organizations, and the private 

sector in training, equipping, and deploying frontline 

health workers have helped countries achieve progress on 

their global health goals; 

Whereas according to the World Health Organization, there 

are 57 countries with critical health workforce shortages, 

most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, 

regions that also have the greatest share of the global 

disease burden and the highest number of preventable 

deaths; 

Whereas training frontline health workers helps to develop 

sustainable local capacity in a country because frontline 

health workers are drawn from the communities they 

serve and are less likely to migrate than higher-skilled 

categories of health workers; 

Whereas the work of frontline health workers is particularly 

crucial during natural or complex emergency situations to 

save lives and to aid communities to recover, rebuild, and 

become self-reliant; 

Whereas the number of people affected by humanitarian crises has doubled from 2004 to 2014 due to an increase 

in the number of natural disasters, public health emergencies, civil unrests, and armed conflicts around the 

world; and frontline health workers are a critical and 


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cost-effective component to building country capacity to 

prevent and respond to humanitarian crises; 

Whereas frontline health workers’ efforts have been instrumental in saving lives during natural disasters and disease, such as after the devastating April 2015 earthquake 

in Nepal, by leading the charge to vaccinate over 500,000 

children to prevent a deadly outbreak of measles, and 

caring for people confirmed or suspected to have been infected with the Ebola virus during the outbreak; 

Whereas health workers provide lifesaving care at great personal risk in conflict settings; and attacks on medical facilities, health workers, and patients have occurred in at 

least 17 countries undergoing conflict and civil unrest, including Syria, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of 

Congo, and others since January 2014; 

Whereas despite the key role of frontline health workers in 

improving health, advancing peace and security, and 

spurring economic growth, the World Bank and the 

World Health Organization estimate that 400,000,000 

people worldwide do not have access to essential health 

services; 

Whereas the International Labor Organization estimated the 

global shortage of health workers in 2015 is 10,300,000, 

including a 7,000,000 health worker deficit in rural areas 

alone; 

Whereas every day, more than 20,000 children in the developing world perish, mostly from preventable causes, and 

800 women die due to pregnancy complications, and 

every year, millions of adults succumb to the ravages of 

AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other treatable and 


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often preventable chronic conditions (including non-communicable diseases); and 

Whereas despite the importance of frontline health workers to 

successful implementation of United States global health 

programs and to improved health outcomes for those 

served by these programs, the United States does not 

have a comprehensive global health workforce strategy: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) reaffirms the critical role of frontline health 

3 workers in achieving core global health goals, includ4 ing ending preventable child and maternal deaths, 

5 ensuring global health security, and achieving an 

6 AIDS-free generation; 

7 (2) commends the progress made by the United 

8 States in helping to build local capacity and to save 

9 lives in the world’s most vulnerable communities by 

10 training and supporting frontline health workers; 

11 (3) acknowledges that in the aftermath of nat12 ural disasters, disease outbreaks, and conflict, front13 line health workers continue to perform critical serv14 ices to save the lives of mothers and children without 

15 access to medicines, equipment, or running water in 

16 many cases; 

17 (4) urges greater global attention and support 

18 for local frontline health workers to ensure their 

19 ability to respond effectively during humanitarian 


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1 crises and to safeguard the health of the world’s 

2 most vulnerable populations, including populations 

3 in conflict-affected states; and 

4 (5) calls on all relevant Federal agencies, in5 cluding the United States Agency for International 

6 Development, the Department of State, and the Cen7 ters for Disease Control and Prevention, to develop 

8 a coordinated, comprehensive health workforce 

9 strengthening action plan that is data-driven with 

10 concrete targets for increasing equitable access to 

11 qualified health workers in developing countries, par12 ticularly in underserved areas, to support the Global 

13 Human Resources for Health Strategy. 

Æ 


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