 The right to health, RTH, provides a useful framework for understanding and addressing the shortage of skilled health workers in low- and middle-income countries, LMIX. This is because it allows us to understand the motivating factors behind state actor responses to this issue. Specifically, state actors in LMIX will be more likely to take action if they believe that the RTH offers tangible national benefits and are not too heavily burdened with ensuring its success. Additionally, the RTH can provide a basis for negotiations between state actors in LMIX and their high-income country, HIC, counterparts. This article was authored by Kenneth Yakubu, Seya Bimbola, Andrea Derbuck, and others.