12 May 2022 – Every year on 12 May, the world marks International Nurses Day in recognition of the tireless and invaluable contribution of nurses to health care and global health security. Nurses and midwives make up more than half of the health workforce in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Region. However, the Region accounts for 17% of the global shortage of 5.9 million nurses according to the report “State of the world's nursing 2020: investing in education, jobs and leadership”. The Region has the second lowest density of nurses among WHO regions, at 15.6 nurses per 10 000 population, ranging from less than 1 to 81 per 10 000 population.
