The World Health Organization has issued a warning for yet another dire consequence of the global economic crisis: the “severe medical workforce crisis” in Africa and Asia, is expected to get worse.

The most recent World Health Report from 2006 estimates that Africa and Asia lack more than 4 million health workers combined. The WHO-sponsored Global Health Work Alliance estimates that 1 in 4 doctors and 1 in 20 nurses will leave Africa to pursue higher-paying jobs abroad.

The repercussions for health worker brain drain are severe, especially in rural communities where access to medical care is limited. In Ghana there is only one doctor per 17,700 citizens — the majority of whom practice in the country's two largest cities. The UN news agency reports that in Ghana the scarcity of doctors and the high cost of medical care are driving some pregnant women to turn to prayer camps, trying to use prayer to get through labor pains.

In an interesting twist, the economic downturn in Europe and the U.S. has driven many well-educated migrants to leave troubled financial hubs like London and New York City and return to their respective home countries in Africa and Asia — a phenomenon some are calling reverse brain drain. As reported in World Focus' online radio show, “Though the U.S. has often been called the "land of opportunity," the country is losing some of its top minds to companies overseas.“

It hasn't hit the health sector yet, but reverse brain drain could help ease the heath-worker crisis. Perhaps a financial recession for some could prove to be a time to regain talent for others.

Cambodia depends heavily on water for the growth of rice which is one of the country's main exports. Photo: Fredalix (flickr)

Why would two countries with the same average rainfall have varying amounts of accessible water? Japan and Cambodia both receive around 160 cm of rainfall per year but the average Japanese person uses nearly 400 liters per day while in Cambodia the average person will likely use one-tenth of that amount. "The scarcity at the heart of the global water crisis is rooted in power, poverty and inequality," says a UNDP report, "not in physical availability."

Developing countries depend mostly on agricultural production as a means of income, but because agriculture accounts for roughly 70 percent of our world's water use, people in these countries heavily dependent on agriculture are left with little water for personal consumption.

In contrast, industrialized countries can use more of their water for personal use as they are able to import much of their food from other parts of the world. In Japan, agriculture makes up only 1.4 percent of GDP while in Cambodia 31 percent of GDP is dependent on the productivity and output of agriculture. This means that a water shortage in Cambodia would be far worse for the citizens and economic growth than in say, Japan.

There is a scene in the movie Jurassic Park where skeptical scientists are about to take their first ride through the dinosaur-inhabited theme park. Back in the control room, the park's skeptical chief engineer (played by Samuel L. Jackson) watches events unfold on a monitor, leans back in his chair and mutters under his breath, "Hold on to your butts."

A similar sentiment is expressed in five Foreign Policy essays by economists who correctly predicted the current global financial meltdown. They warn us that "The Worst is Yet to Come" (the title of the collection) and that we had better buckle up for a long, rough ride.

What can we expect? In the U.S., a recession for at least the next 24 months, maybe longer. This in turn will have a ripple effect that may drive the global economy into a downward spiral of recession that will be the worst in 75 years. Because of the complex interweaving of the global economy, the economists predict that no country will escape unscathed.

We are starting to see the effects of economic freefall here in the U.S. Normally, I receive maybe one unsolicited resume a month from educators fishing for an adjunct teaching position at Marylhurst University. But starting around Thanksgiving, I've been receiving on average, one inquiry a day. Even the students applying to the business degree programs, which usually include a small share of career-changers and right-sizers, has grown to include some pretty impressively credentialed professionals looking to reposition themselves for a changing and increasingly competitive job market.

So is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Even the experts can’t answer that with certainty. According to the five economists, it is going to take a complex, internationally coordinated, unorthodox approach. Needless to say, it is not going to be easy. David M. Smick, editor of The International Economy magazine and one of the five experts cited in the article, suggests that the potential solution lies in the untapped financial reserves being held in money market funds and other places. According to Smick, “It’s simply sitting on the sidelines, including $6 trillion in global money market funds alone.”

The world’s leaders, including one newly elected U.S. President, have a huge task ahead of them. If we reframe the challenge in a more positive light, we could call this a terrific opportunity to excel. We wish them Godspeed. In the meantime, hold on to your butts.