The challenge to identify the global neonatal workforce needed to meet the millennium developmental goals

Millennium Development Goal (MDG) # 4 targets a 2/3 reduction of under 5 years of age deaths by 2015 (United Nations, 2013). However, preventable neonatal deaths which constitute nearly half of this under 5 years of age mortality hinder the achievement of MDG. Strategic implementation of programs and initiatives to improve neonatal outcomes relies on effective utilization of neonatal workforce at the regional, national, and global level. The Council of International Neonatal Nurses (COINN), Inc. identified as the only international neonatal nursing organization recognizes the need for an updated data which is not only updated but neonatal specific, in order to identify the gaps in care providers compared to neonatal outcomes.Neonatal nurse workforce shortages and how it relates to the quality or the availability of care is reported widely, however, in a fragmented manner.This article will describe the significance of the neonatal workforce to the neonatal health and neonatal nursing by reporting the existing evidence related to the neonatal workforce and the current efforts being made globally.