•HRES 135 IH 
Whereas it can cost as little as $300 to train a frontline 
health worker in crucial life-saving skills, making invest-
ments in frontline health workers one of the most cost ef-
fective ways to save lives; 
Whereas partnerships with faith-based organizations and the 
private sector in training, equipping, and deploying front-
line health workers have helped countries achieve 
progress on 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 impact of investments in frontline health work-
ers has been well documented, such as in Ethiopia where 
these investments led to a doubling of the rates of chil-
dren who have been immunized, treated for pneumonia, 
and been given Vitamin A to prevent blindness, and in 
Afghanistan, where they have contributed to an almost 
fivefold increase of skilled midwives, which has led to an 
over 10-year gain in life expectancy for women; 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
18:57 Mar 22, 2013
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR135.IH
HR135
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 135 IH 
Whereas despite the key role of frontline health workers in 
improving health, advancing peace and security, and 
spurring economic growth, the World Health Organiza-
tion estimates a shortage of at least 1,000,000 frontline 
health workers in the developing world; 
Whereas 
despite 
gains 
in 
access 
to 
health 
care, 
1,000,000,000 of the world’s nearly 7,000,000,000 people 
have little or no access to basic health services; 
Whereas every day more than 20,000 children in the devel-
oping 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 pre-
ventable chronic 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 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) reaffirms the important role of frontline 
health workers in saving lives and fostering a 
healthier, more secure, and more prosperous world; 
(2) commends the progress made by the United 
States in helping to build local capacity and to save 
lives in the world’s most vulnerable communities by 
training and supporting frontline health care work-
ers; and 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
18:57 Mar 22, 2013
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR135.IH
HR135
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 135 IH 
(3) calls on all relevant Federal agencies, in-
cluding the United States Agency for International 
Development, the Department of State, and the Cen-
ters for Disease Control and Prevention, to develop 
a coordinated and comprehensive health workforce 
strengthening strategy with concrete targets for in-
creasing equitable access to qualified health workers 
in developing countries, particularly in underserved 
areas, with a strategic focus on frontline health 
workers. 
Æ 
VerDate Mar 15 2010 
18:57 Mar 22, 2013
Jkt 029200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR135.IH
HR135
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS