The Seventy-fourth World Health Assembly in May 2021 adopted resolution WHA74.14 on protecting, safeguarding and investing in the health and care workforce, in which it requested the Director-General “to develop, in consultation with Member States, a succinct compilation document under the name of “global health and care worker compact” based on already existing documents of relevant international organizations ... which aims at providing Member States, stakeholders and relevant other organizations with technical guidance on how to protect health and care workers and safeguard their rights, and to promote and ensure decent work, free from racial and all other forms of discrimination and a safe and enabling practice environment”. The care compact sets out complementary management and policy actions structured around four domains, namely: preventing harm; providing support; inclusivity; and safeguarding rights. The citation library is available as a separate document.
The Working for Health five-year action plan for health employment and inclusive economic growth (2017–2021) draws on the recommendations of the report of the United Nations High-level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth. It is delivered principally through the joint intersectoral W4H programme and its Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) in partnership with WHO, ILO and OECD. A major part of its objectives is to stimulate workforce actions in alignment with national, regional and global strategies and plans. These actions are delivered at country and regional level through multisectoral Member State-led collaboration and catalytic technical and financial support. Other joint W4H work includes developing and adapting key global public goods, including an international platform for health worker mobility, an interagency data exchange platform, an ILO and OECD approach to anticipating the skills needs of health workers, and a methodology for measuring employment impact. This document presents the findings of an independent end-of-project review of the Working for Health five-year action plan for health employment and inclusive economic growth (2017–2021) Working for Health Multi Partner Trust Fund over the first action plan period. This included direct support to 13 countries, two economic regions and three global projects. The review is based on the evaluation criteria of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. The review also looks to the future of sustaining investment and support for implementation of subsequent projects under the new Working for Health 2022–2030 Action Plan and its MPTF, which was extended by Member States at the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly in May 2022.
Several years have passed since the launch of the National Health Workforce Accounts (NHWA) in 2017. And following a global pandemic that disrupted healthcare services worldwide, it is an opportune time to reflect on the progress, priorities, gaps, and adaptations of the NHWA. The NHWA has witnessed unprecedented engagement from countries, partners, and all three levels of the World Health Organization, with focal points nominated by most Member States (90%). Thanks to collective efforts, there has been a significant improvement in the availability and quality of health workforce (HWF) data. Standardized measurement approaches, streamlined reporting mechanisms, and the involvement of multiple stakeholders from various sectors, including partner organizations, have played a vital role in this advancement. The data monitored and reported through NHWA has contributed to generating evidence on various policy issues, including HWF shortages, ageing, migration, and inequalities related to gender and subnational disparities. Furthermore, it has shed light on the significant contributions of the HWF in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. NHWA has also facilitated the development of key global products, such as the State of the World’s Nursing report, the State of the World’s Midwifery report, as well as several national and regional reports. Since 2017, the World Health Assembly has adopted a series of new resolutions highlighting HWF issues, such as the Strategic Directives on Nursing and Midwifery, the Working for Health Action Plan, and the Global Health and Care Worker Compact, to name a few. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a greater recognition of the role of the HWF for universal health coverage (UHC) and health security. The development of the Roadmap for building national workforce capacity to deliver the essential public health functions, initiatives on non-communicable diseases, community health workers (CHWs), primary health care (PHC), and traditional and complementary medicine, all recognized the centrality of the health and care workforce as well as the need for data and evidence to inform policies and planning. While ensuring continuity in the standardization of HWF statistics and maintaining the legacy of NHWA v1.0, this revision of NHWA incorporates necessary changes and adaptations to accommodate priority data needs for health and care workers (HCWs)-related new initiatives and challenges. The implementation of NHWA remains committed to core principles, which include a systems-strengthening approach, progressive implementation, multi-sectoral governance, and diversification of data sources. This revised version also provides more examples of NHWA data use.
The 2030 health-related Sustainable Development Goals call on countries to end AIDS as a public health threat and also to achieve universal health coverage. The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes primary health care (PHC) as the key mechanism for achieving universal health coverage, and the PHC approach is also essential for ending AIDS and reaching other Sustainable Development Goal targets. This publication helps decision-makers to consider and optimize the synergies between existing and future assets and investments intended for both PHC and disease-specific responses, including HIV.
This stimulating open access volume details the innovative work of the Pan Institution Network for Global Health in creating collaborative research-based answers to large-scale health issues. Equitable partnerships among member universities representing North America, Africa, Asia, and Europe reverse standard cross-national dynamics to develop locally relevant responses to health challenges as well as their underlying disparities. Case studies focusing on multiple morbidities and effects of urbanization on health illustrate open dialogue in addressing HIV, maternal/child health, diabetes, and other major concerns. These instructive examples model collaborations between global North and South as meaningful steps toward the emerging global future of public health. Included in the coverage: Building sustainable networks: introducing the Pan Institution Network for Global Health Fostering dialogues in global health education: a graduate and undergraduate approach Provider workload and multiple morbidities in the Caribbean and South Africa Project Redemption: conducting research with informal workers in New York City Partnership and collaboration in global health: valuing reciprocity Global Health Collaboration will interest faculty working within the field of global health; scholars within public health, health policy, and cognate disciplines; as well as administrators looking to develop international university partnerships around global health and graduate students in the areas of global health, health administration, and public health and related social sciences (e.g., sociology, anthropology, demography).
As part of the International Year of the Health and Care Workers (IYHCW) 2021 Campaign activities, the World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) led an analysis of the impact that COVID-19 had on the global health and care workforce for the World Health Organization (WHO). An evidence synthesis was developed using the information and summary reports from each of the WHPA stakeholders related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health and care workers (HCWs), in alignment with the standardized framework developed by WHO to measure the multi-dimensional impact of the pandemic on HCWs. The purpose of this report is to act as an advocacy document to global, regional and national leaders and decision-makers working in the health systems and health workforce domains, sensitizing them about the multi-dimensional impact of COVID-19 on HCWs, the need to think beyond just infections and deaths, and the importance of investing, protecting and safeguarding this workforce. Hence, addressing the impact of COVID-19 on HCWs should be comprehensive, ensuring not just the health and social well-being of the health and care workers, but also their availability and distribution and working conditions. Secondly, it also aims to draw the attention of human resources for health (HRH) planners, policy-makers, program managers, researchers and analysts to the standardized framework developed by WHO, and to motivate them to apply the framework to measure impact at national level.
"The novel coronavirus of 2019 (COVID-19) has caused one of the largest pandemics in human history. COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic in March 2020. The worldwide COVID health crisis has affected virtually every aspect of daily life, namely the conditions in which we are born, grow, learn, work, and age. For the last three years, for instance, we have engaged in social distancing, remote meetups and seemingly endless Zoom calls. We have also changed how we view healthcare, with many increasing their use of telemedicine. Many have also abandoned city living for a more comfortable life in suburban, peri-rural and rural environments, with greater access to trees and parkland. Travel has been significantly impacted-disrupting existing social networks but also potentially deepening more localized social networks. For some, these changes were only in initial lockdown period(s); for others, these changes may be ongoing. The idea for our book emerged from overwhelming evidence that the pandemic intersects with nearly every social determinant of population health and aggravating existing inequalities in social conditions and health outcomes"--
The Fair Share report outlines how gender-equitable investments in health and care work can help fully recognize the value of health and care work, to drive fairer and more inclusive economies and better health outcomes. The report presents six policy levers to better value health and care work: Investments in health and care systems not only accelerate progress on UHC, they redistribute unpaid health and care work. Health systems need to recognize, value and invest in all forms health and care work.
Nurses are critical in addressing the great health challenges we now face. For the first time, Global Health and Nursing provides an overview of global health issues specifically for nurses. Critical topics covered in this exciting new book include the social determinants of health, planetary health, globalisation and migration. It highlights the importance of investment in the nursing profession, the role of gender, and how nurses can find a global voice to become influential leaders as we rebuild health systems post-pandemic. Written by Dr Barbara Stilwell, one of the UK's most influential nurses and a champion for health workers and strong health systems, the book is suitable for all those interested in global health, including postgraduate nurses, nurse educators, practising nurses and nurses taking global health programmes. - Written by eminent British nurse, researcher and academic Dr Barbara Stilwell, with contributions from major players in global nursing - Covers a broad range of issues relevant to all those interested in global health, from the nurse's viewpoint - Explores the most critical issues facing world health today, including planetary health, decolonising nursing, nurse migration and nursing in emergencies - Focus on leadership and how to find a global voice - Real life case studies drawn from around the world – learn from your peers - Research-based findings on the effects of COVID on the nursing workforce - Closely linked to the work of the International Council of Nurses
