Working for Health: one year progress
In 2016, the then UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, set up an intersectoral High-Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth (‘the Commission’), drawing Commissioners from the education, finance, health and labour sectors. Their task: identify strategies to avert a projected shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030 – primarily in low- and middle-income countries – and guide action on the unprecedented global demand for health and social sector jobs in wealthier economies.
The Commission found evidence that investing in the health workforce is a driver of inclusive economic growth, dispelling perceptions of health as a consumptive cost. Moreover, the Commission found that investing in the health workforce is a powerful means of making gains across the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDGs 3 (good health and well-being), 4 (quality education), 5 (gender equality) and 8 (decent work and economic growth).
In their report, Working for Health and Growth, the Commission made ten recommendations with five immediate actions to expand and transform the health workforce. In December 2016, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Commission’s recommendations, and asked the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to take the work forward.
Rapid progress has been made since UNGA adopted the Commission’s recommendations and immediate actions. In May 2017, the World Health Assembly adopted a joint ILO, OECD and WHO five-year action plan, ‘‘Working for Health’.’.
A few highlights:
- Fourteen international fora have adopted the Commission’s recommendations, culminating in the Dublin Declaration which outlines nine critical actions that must be taken forward.
- Over 50 countries are being assisted to implement national health workforce accounts.
- Over 20 countries participated in a first consultative event to agree on the scope of the health worker labour mobility platform.
- Fifteen –twenty countries targeted for support with the establishment of the Working for Health Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF)
- Four countries supported by the People’s Republic of China to catalyse action and investment in transformative education, skills and job creation
- Jobs to avert a projected 6 million healthworker shortfall in Africa potentially created. Cote d’Ivoire has galvanized intersectoral action by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) to l unlock policy, regulatory and financial challenges toll stimulate health jobs and tackle youth unemployment.
Specific progress on the five immediate actions set by the Commission:
Working for Health has made rapid progress on the Commission’s immediate actions:
- Encourage commitments and foster intersectoral engagement: Fourteen international fora have adopted the Commission’s recommendations, culminating in the Dublin Declaration at the 4th Global Forum on Human Resources for Health. The Dublin Declaration outlines nine critical actions that must be taken forward.
- Galvanize accountability, commitment and advocacy. Working for Health is country-driven. This is exemplified by Cote D’Ivoire bringing member states of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) together to unlock long-standing health workforce financing challenges. WAEMU is taking intersectoral action, bringing ministries of education, labour and finance together with ministries of health, to tackle the need for macroeconomic, policy and regulatory reform. This will stimulate creation of health jobs for universal health coverage, and contribute significantly to averting the projected shortfall of 6 million health workers in Africa.
- Advance health labour market data and analysis and tracking in all countries. ILO, OECD and WHO are using their mandates and capacities to support countries to better analyse and track their health workforces. To date over 50 countries are being assisted to develop national health workforce accounts. Working for Health is also developing a health worker inter-agency data exchange to improve global health labour market information.
- Accelerate investment in transformative education, skills and job creation. In November 2017, the Working for Health Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF), was set up, enabling partners to pool resources to provide the support needed to generate change at country level. Separately, the People’s Republic of China has committed to invest, via the Working for Health Programme, in work to expand and transform the health workforces in four countries.
- Establish an international platform on health worker mobility: Over 20 countries participated in a first consultative event to agree on the scope of the health worker labour mobility platform. This will provide evidence, tools and international cooperation to maximize the benefits of health worker migration while mitigating negative effects on vulnerable health systems and protecting the rights of migrant health workers.
Focusing efforts at country level
Having established commitment at global level, Working for Health is focusing efforts at country level. This is a country driven programme, creating intersectoral health workforce agendas and developing and implementing innovative health workforce plans. The plans will be guided by the principles of decent work, will address gender inequity and will facilitate coherent implementation of the SDG agenda.