Not Replacing, But Reinforcing: The Future of the MNH Workforce
Summary
AlignMNH’s new "Real Talk" webinar series launched with a bold conversation about the future of the maternal and newborn health workforce — and the uncomfortable truth that the global health workforce gap isn’t closing anytime soon. Moderated by Mercy Juma, the discussion brought together experts who challenged outdated assumptions about care, urging a shift toward blending human empathy with digital innovation. From AI-supported midwives to fair wages for frontline workers, the panel explored how technology can amplify—not replace—the human heart of healthcare.
Picture this: A 76-year-old midwife is asked whether she’d trust AI for health advice. She pauses, thinks, and then…
Well, that’s exactly how AlignMNH’s groundbreaking “Real Talk” webinar series kicked off, with moderator Mercy Juma sharing this delightful anecdote about her mother.
That pause says everything about where we are right now in global health.
The Uncomfortable Truth We Need to Face
Let’s not sugarcoat it – the health workforce gap isn’t closing. We’re not going to magically train, equip and support enough healthcare workers to meet the world’s needs. A 2025 McKinsey Health Institute report shows that even if even if we implement interventions to help the workforce ‘grow, thrive, and stay,’ we will still only meet half the global need for health workers. Africa, with less than 20% of the world’s population, carries 52% of the health workforce shortage and 70% of the opportunity to reduce disease burden.
As Mercy put it bluntly during the webinar: “We are not going to close [this gap], and that’s not why we’re here today.”
Instead, this first Real Talk session dared to ask a different question: If we can’t close the workforce gap, how do we work with what we have or reinvent care itself?
The Human Heart of Digital Innovation
What struck us most was how the three expert panelists – Dr. Tegbar Yigzaw Sendekie (health workforce consultant), Dr. Neha Verma (Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Intelehealth), and Kaiyan Yousaf (Deputy Director of Strategic Partnerships, Viamo) – refused to see this as an either/or situation. It’s not about replacing the human touch with cold technology. It’s about asking, as Mercy beautifully framed it, “How do we blend human empathy with new tools… in a way that we don’t lose the heart of care?”
This is especially crucial in maternal and newborn health, where trust, cultural sensitivity, and that irreplaceable human connection can literally mean the difference between life and death.
Kaiyan Yousaf made a compelling point: “Waiting for an ideal situation and saying no to technology is just making sure you’re getting left behind.” He acknowledged that while we’d ideally have one healthcare worker serving just a handful of patients, we can’t wait for that perfect scenario when people need urgent help now.
Waiting for an ideal situation and saying no to technology is just making sure you’re getting left behind.
Breaking Free from 20th Century Thinking
Dr. Neha Verma pointed out that while we’re racing into an era of AI and digital tools, we’re still clinging to “20th century professional identities.” We’re still licensing healthcare workers based on rigid task lists created decades ago. But what happens when a community health worker armed with a smartphone and AI support can potentially diagnose conditions that once required years of medical training? The scope of practice is changing dramatically, but our systems haven’t caught up.
For maternal and newborn health, this could be revolutionary. Imagine midwives in remote areas using AI-powered tools to identify high-risk pregnancies earlier, or community health workers using telemedicine to connect mothers with specialists hundreds of miles away.
The Elephant in the Room: Fair Wages
Dr. Tegbar didn’t mince words about another critical issue: “Healthcare workers need to be paid fairly for the work they are doing – a wage that’s enough for them to lead a decent life.”
He pointed out a harsh reality: “Right now, health workers are being paid a salary that keeps them in poverty, while they’re working more than anybody else, putting themselves at risk.” While budget constraints and sustainability concerns are often cited, investments too often prioritize repeated service trainings over addressing the deeper issue of workforce motivation and fair compensation.
This is particularly relevant for maternal and newborn health workers, who often work long hours in challenging conditions, carrying the emotional weight of life-and-death situations daily.
What This Means for Mothers and Babies
This Real Talk session refused to shy away from hard truths but at the same time remained hopeful about what’s possible. The panelists weren’t selling us a technology utopia where apps replace midwives. Instead, they painted a picture of a future where technology amplifies human capability.
As we think about the future of MNH, this conversation opens up exciting possibilities:
- Expanded reach: Digital tools could help skilled providers support multiple communities simultaneously. A specialist in the capital could guide rural midwives through complex cases via telemedicine.
- Enhanced decision-making: AI could help identify risk factors that might be missed in routine care, flagging high-risk pregnancies before complications arise.
- Continuous learning: Healthcare workers at all levels could access ongoing training and support through digital platforms, staying updated on best practices without leaving their communities.
- Better data: Digital systems could help us understand and respond to maternal and newborn health challenges in real-time, identifying patterns and outbreaks faster than ever before.
But technology alone isn’t the answer. We need systemic changes that include:
- Rethinking professional roles: Moving beyond rigid job descriptions to allow healthcare workers to practice at the top of their enhanced, tech-supported capabilities.
- Fair compensation: Addressing the fundamental issue of healthcare worker motivation through livable wages.
- Human-centered design: Ensuring that digital tools enhance rather than replace the human elements of care that are so crucial in maternal and newborn health.
- Cultural sensitivity: Recognizing that trust and cultural beliefs play huge roles in care-seeking behavior, especially around pregnancy and childbirth.
As one attendee noted, the ideal situation would be to have adequate healthcare workers for everyone. But as the panelists made clear, waiting for that ideal while doing nothing is a disservice to those people who need urgent help.
The health workforce gap may not be closing, but that doesn’t mean we’re out of options. It just means it’s time to get creative, stay human, and embrace innovation while keeping the heart of care intact.
The Real Talk Continues
This Real Talk session reminded us that the future of maternal and newborn health isn’t about choosing between human touch and digital innovation – it’s about weaving them together in ways that honor both efficiency and empathy, technology and tradition, progress and the timeless art of caring for mothers and babies.
And this webinar was just the beginning. AlignMNH has promised more of these honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations about the future of maternal and newborn health work. And thank goodness for that. Because if we’re going to create a world where every mother and baby has access to quality care, we need to stop pretending that business as usual will get us there.
Stay tuned for more insights from AlignMNH’s Real Talk series, where uncomfortable truths meet innovative solutions in the quest for better maternal and newborn health worldwide.