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This week's G8 summit in Deauville (Report, 25 May) is a chance for world leaders to step up their support for healthcare that saves children's and mothers' lives. As the UN secretary general has noted, the world is suffering from a massive gap of more than 3.5 million health workers. This includes a pressing need for at least 1 million community health workers and 350,000 midwives. Millions more existing health workers lack the support, equipment and training they need. Health workers are vital for progress on global health and development, and for ensuring the millennium development goals are met. Bold leadership is needed. World leaders each need to make new, substantial and specific commitments to expand the number of health workers and better support those workers who are already in place. To motivate this kind of bold leadership will require a powerful coalition with strong public support. For this reason, a diverse range of organisations are issuing today this urgent call for more health workers, better supported. We share a vision where there is a health worker within reach of everyone, in every community. Together we are determined to help inspire action on health workers that will save millions of lives, starting this week and concluding with a breakthrough at the UN general assembly meetings in September.
Justin Forsyth, Chief Executive, Save the Children
Dr Abhay Bang, Founder, Search, India
Theresa Shaver, President, White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood
Frances Day-Stirk, Director of Learning, Research and Practice Development, Royal College of Midwives and Vice-President, International Confederation of Midwives
Ann M. Starrs, President, Family Care International
Justin Byworth, Chief Executive, World Vision
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, General Secretary, World YWCA
Zulfiqar A. Bhutta, Founding Chair, Division of Women & Child Health, the Aga Khan University, Pakistan
Rotimi Sankore, Coordinator, Africa Public Health Alliance & 15% Plus Campaign
Raffaele K Salinari, Chairperson, Terre des Hommes International Federation
Tea Collins, Director, NCD Alliance
Professor Gamal Serour, President, FIGO
Kate Armstrong, Chair, Child-focused Working Group of the NCD Alliance
Amy Eussen, UN Co-ordinator, CLAN (Caring & Living As Neighbours)
Ignazio R. Marino, President IMAGINE ONLUS
Carola Carazzone, President, VIS-Italia ONLUS
Dante Carraro, Director General, CUAMM ONLUS
Professor Tim Eden, Medical Trustee, World Child Cancer.
Elizabeth Perlich Sweeney, President, Children's HeartLink
William Keenan MD, Executive Director, International Pediatric Association
Marta Monteso, International Coordinator, Action for Global Health
Patrick Bertrand, Global Health Advocates - Principal Partner, France
Daniela Colombo, President, AIDOS, Italy
Uber Alberti, President, CESTAS, Italy
Birgit Dederichs-Bain, Welthungerhilfe, Germany
Alvaro Bermejo, Executive Director, International HIV/AIDS Alliance
Robin King Austin, CEO, Vina Capital Foundation
Lynda K. Fisher, President, International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD)
Ros Davies, Chief Executive, Women and Children First
Misikir Tilahun, Head of Programmes, Africa Humanitarian Action
Belinda Coote, Chief Executive, AMREF
Caroline Harper, Chief Executive, Sightsavers
Dr Gill Greer, Director-General, International Planned Parenthood Federation
Marge Mayne, Chief Executive, VSO
Dieneke ter Huurne, Chair, Stop AIDS Campaign
Aaron Oxley, Executive Director, RESULTS
Simon Ross, Chief Executive, Population Matters
Susan Wright, Director, Doctors of the World,
Professor Steve Allen, International Officer, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Sarah Kline, Executive Director, Malaria No More
Elly Pilavachi, National Coordinator of Medsin
Ambassador Mark Green (ret.), Sr. Advisor, Malaria No More Policy Center
Mike Mandelbaum, Chief Executive, TB Alert
Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive and General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing
Martin Drewry, Director, Health Poverty Action
Fiona Campbell, Head of Policy, Merlin
Erin Thornton, Executive Director, Every Mother Counts
Jeremy Hobbs. Executive Director, Oxfam International
Masaki Inaba, Executive Director, Ugoku/Ugokasu (GCAP Japan)
Sumie Ishii, Executive Director, Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP)
Tatsuo Hayashi, President, Africa Japan Forum