Beatrice Njambi Njoroge is one of millions of health workers helping the World Bank Group reach its goal of 1.5 billion people with quality, affordable health care by 2030. She is proof that #HealthWorks — one baby at a time.
Credits: World Bank Group
Synopsis
World Bank Group (WBG) supported health projects in Mozambique, Indonesia, Côte d’Ivoire and Argentina as well as across the Latin American region, have expanded access to care, improved health outcomes, and created jobs. Millions of households benefited, and the expansion of health services directly supported job creation through increased demand for skilled health workers, alongside broader insurance coverage. Health sector investments also generate indirect employment across industries such as pharmaceuticals, biotech, medical technology, digital health, and support services. Women and youth employment were prioritized, driving inclusive growth.
The WBG has been supporting health system strengthening for over two decades, focusing on expanding the workforce, improving service quality, and financial sustainability.
In Mozambique, the Program-for-Results model incentivized delivery of a package of primary healthcare services and introduced quality of care performance scorecards. Training for community health workers was provided to boost retention and professional growth.
In Indonesia, the WBG-supported multisectoral nutrition programs and health insurance reforms, along with their work on reducing stunting, are expected to yield significant human capital gains and support better jobs over the life cycle. Early childhood nutrition interventions can increase adult wages by up to 46 percent, particularly when provided before age three.
The Plan Nacer in Argentina—implemented through a government–World Bank partnership—allowed a more targeted approach to healthcare financing, giving health facilities greater flexibility while improving service quality and supporting jobs in health service delivery.
IFC mobilizes private capital and provides advisory services to strengthen private health companies in emerging markets, improving quality, efficiency, and access to health services and products. By investing in private healthcare companies, IFC adds essential capacity and innovation while supporting employment across health services, pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical equipment manufacturing and digital health technology.
In Integrated Village Health Services Post (Posyandu), health volunteers and health workers check development progress of babies and children and provide information such as healthy meals for the family.
Results
The World Bank efforts to support Mozambique’s healthcare system significantly expanded its health services between 2018 and 2023: A new bill—National Health System Law—has been recently approved by Congress, formalizing the community health care worker careers and doubling the workforce from 3,380 to 8,300. Technical staff assigned to primary care grew by one-third to more than 22,000. Household access to health services rose from 1.7 million to 3.6 million, and nearly 6 million skilled deliveries were facilitated between 2017-2022.
In Indonesia, a multisectoral nutrition program phase 1 and phase 2 is part of a broader health system effort, supported by reforms that expanded health insurance coverage to 98% of the population. Over the past five years, the country reduced stunting by about 10 percentage points, with community-level engagement—including the training of thousands of volunteers—strengthening human capital, future productivity, and the country’s long-term jobs and growth potential.
Following World Bank programs, the enrollment in Côte d’Ivoire’s National Health Insurance rose from 10% to 62% in two years, creating over 10,000 direct jobs. As an indirect result, thousands of health workers are also being trained and hired to ensure that supply can catch up with the now heavily subsidized demand.
In 2025, overall, IFC health investments reached 68.3 million people with improved access to health, by investing in private health sectors, supporting hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers.
In Colombia and Mexico, as well as across Central America, the IFC Roemmers project strengthens regional pharmaceutical manufacturing to expand access to affordable generic medicines, reduce import dependence, improve sector efficiency, boost market supply, and create skilled employment opportunities. In FY25, the project supported more than 1,650 jobs, reaching an estimated additional 790,000 people.
Contribution to WBG Targets and Jobs
World Bank Group projects across the world have delivered quality, affordable health services to 575 million people since 2024 and contributed to the goal of reaching 1.5 billion people by 2030. Investments in health have created direct and indirect jobs, especially for women and youth. In countries with health operations, health sector expansion has generated thousands of new jobs and improved livelihoods. Between 2020 and 2024, IFC’s health investment portfolio supported an average of 235,000 jobs per year, with more than 230 private hospitals that worked with IFC’s Healthcare Quality advisory program to analyze and improve their quality-of-care standards, strengthening services for more than 2 million patients.
Health workers monitor child growth during a routine check‑up at a community health facility in Mozambique. Credits: World Bank Group
“I used to walk for about two hours to reach the nearest healthcare unit or spend a substantial amount of money on transport every time a family member needed assistance. Now, unless it is a severe condition, the community health worker comes to our house and provides the care we need.”
Preparing early makes a real difference. For example, Mozambique’s program restructured to address COVID-19, cyclones, and conflict, decentralizing funds for local flexibility. Additionally, training and formalizing health workers improve retention and outcomes and results-based financing, as in Argentina, links funding to verified results, driving quality and efficiency. Finally, domestic resources mobilization, partnerships, and co-financing are key for scale and sustainability.
Next Steps
The WBG will continue supporting reforms for sustainable, cost-effective health systems, including strengthening primary care and advancing job-creation through digital innovation and local manufacturing of key health supplies and products. The community health worker model will be expanded to more countries, addressing the global shortage of 10 million health workers by 2030. Strategic investments in workforce development, digital health, including AI, in partnerships between public and private sector will drive progress toward the 1.5B goal and more and better jobs.
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