Today the World Health Organization and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University released the Global health and care worker law and policy lab, a digital platform and tool to advance implementation of the Global health and care worker compact.
The Law and policy lab houses national and international legal instruments and resources to support countries and their partners in strengthening their national policies and operations, populated with an initial compilation of laws, regulations and policies from over 150 countries worldwide.
In 2021, Member States requested that the World Health Organization (WHO) develop a compilation of international human rights, labour and humanitarian instruments to protect health and care workers and ensure their rights. At the Seventy-fifth World Health Assembly in 2022, Member States took note of the resultant Global health and care worker compact that resulted from an extensive legal and policy review and consultation with health worker organizations and associations.
From deaths, illness, burnout and mental health issues experienced during COVID-19 to attacks and harassment in conflict zones, health and care workers around the world face occupational hazards and risks. The World Health Organization projects a global deficit of 10 million health workers by 2030, with two regions bearing an increasing proportion of the gaps. Urgent action is needed to protect, support and safeguard health and care workers as a vital component of strong and resilient health systems.
“Health and care workers are the backbone of health systems,” said WHO Health Workforce Director Jim Campbell, “We need to protect and safeguard their health and well-being and invest in decent work. The new Law and policy lab provides a foundation on which countries and their partners can assess and strengthen existing policies and strategies to protect health and care workers’ rights.”
The Global health and care worker compact identifies ten areas of focus within four domains – preventing harm, providing support, ensuring inclusivity and safeguarding rights –where governments and societies can improve the work environments and rights realization of the people doing health and care work. The new Law and policy lab consolidates national laws across each of those domains along with a guide to the existing international legal obligations to safeguard the rights of health and care workers and ensure that they have decent and enabling work environments. It is housed at https://www.hcwpolicylab.org/.
Well-designed and implemented laws and policies support health and care workers, improve retention, and support their engagement in health systems, efforts to end future pandemics, and improve global public health. “Law is among the most powerful public health tools we have to support those doing lifesaving work in clinics and hospitals, homes and care facilities, war zones and climate disasters,” said Dr. Matthew Kavanagh, director of the Center for Global Health Policy and Politics at the O’Neill Institute. “And the first step in applying this tool is understanding how national laws may or may not support that goal.”