PHM-Exch> [PHM NEWS] Looking at healthcare workers only as heroes does them a disservice

[Claudio Schuftan]

There is a huge lacuna in ensuring adequate compensation for health workers
who acquire the illness, despite a broad based demand from the
international trade union movement

June 01, 2020
<https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/06/01/looking-at-healthcare-workers-only-as-heroes-does-them-a-disservice/>
by PHM WHO-Watch Team <https://peoplesdispatch.org/author/who-watch-team/>


The resolution passed at the World Health Assembly largely failed to
address the working conditions of health workers and other front-line
workers.

The World Health Organization (WHO) had declared 2020 as the “International
Year of the Nurse and the Midwife” in order to mark the bicentenary of the
birth of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale. As the
COVID-19 pandemic spreads across the world, nurses and other health workers
have been praised for their commitment, beyond and above the call of duty.
As the decision-making body of the premier institution for global health
dedicated its two-day virtual meet to the world’s response to COVID-19, did
the international community do enough to address the issues they face?


The virtual 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) was held between May 18 and
May 19, 2020, and dedicated itself to discuss the countries’ response to
COVID-19. Delegations from member countries of the WHO unanimously adopted
the Resolution on COVID-19 response
<https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA73/A73_CONF1Rev1-en.pdf>.


The Resolution recognizes the key role played by health professionals,
health workers and other relevant front-line workers, in responding to the
COVID-19 pandemic. It urges countries to take measures to ensure the safe
movement of humanitarian and health workers, including community health
workers and medical equipment, to fulfill their duties. The resolution
recommends providing health workers “personal protective equipment and
other necessary commodities and training, including in the provision of
psychosocial support” as well as ensuring safety at work and the “provision
of adequate remuneration (to health workers)”. The WHA-73 urged countries
and all relevant parties to fully implement the recommendations of the WHO
Expert Advisory Group on the relevance and effectiveness of the WHO Global
Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.


In his opening address, Tedros Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the
WHO, stated: “The World Health Organization is committed to defeating the
coronavirus pandemic with science and public health measures, and
supporting the health workers who are on the front-lines of the
response….When health workers are at risk, we’re all at risk,” he added.


Country representatives also commended the work put in by health workers
and expressed their gratitude towards them and other front-line workers in
the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. In their interventions, they
covered a wide range of issues. They emphasized the need for necessary PPEs
and training for front-line workers. China mentioned that it has trained
more than 2.6 million health workers in 23 languages. In response to
increasing infection and deaths among healthcare workers, Tunisia called on
the WHO to take immediate measures to ensure access to appropriate Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) and a better plan for dealing with the crisis.
Bahrain stated that it had taken special measures to ensure that workers
were well prepared through timely training of health professionals. San
Marino said that it had commenced serological screening with health
workers. Nigeria spoke of the insurance cover it will ensure for all health
workers, while Cyprus mentioned having implemented a helpline for health
workers.


However, some critical issues were not addressed. In a statement submitted
online <https://extranet.who.int/nonstateactorsstatements/meetingoutline/6>,
the global union federation of public service workers, Public Services
International, stated that “economic considerations should not define
required PPE and workplace safety. Member states have to address PPE
shortages to save lives. This requires enhanced global collaboration,
including for building stockpiles and supply.”


The Resolution largely failed to address the working conditions of health
workers and other front-line workers. The emergencies posed by COVID-19
have put health workers at high risk due to shortage of PPE, exposure to an
overwhelming number of infected cases, long shifts without adequate resting
periods and the lack of adequate preventive measures and surveillance
systems in healthcare facilities. Moreover, the lack of training and access
to necessary commodities places community health workers and sanitation
workers under higher risk of getting infected. Perhaps the major issue
still remains the shortage of PPE, as reports indicate that health workers
are reusing their protective wear or trying to find a quick fix by using
plastic bags and the like. A large number of front-line health workers are
women, and their safety and menstrual needs are not addressed.


There is recognition that health workers face a greater risk. The chief
executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, Michael J.
Ryan, said at a press conference ahead of the WHA session that “Health
workers have always been, unfortunately, the mine’s canary in epidemic
response, particularly in areas that don’t have strong surveillance
systems.” There is growing evidence that rise in coronavirus infection
leads to increased number of health workers and other front-line workers
getting ill. Despite this, a recognition of COVID-19 as an occupational
disease, was fully missing. There is a huge lacuna in ensuring adequate
compensation for health workers who acquire the illness, despite a broad
based demand from the international trade union movement
<https://publicservices.international/resources/news/international-workers-memorial-day-remember-the-dead-fight-for-the-living?id=10757&lang=en>.
“WHO’s *Considerations for public health and social measures in the
workplace* has serious flaws. Prepared without involvement of workers, its
recommendations on physical distancing, strategy for testing, and long-term
psycho-mental risks are inadequate to safeguard workers’ lives and
well-being. We call for its review to adequately address these and for
consideration of COVID-19 as an occupational disease,” the statement by the
Public Services International mentioned. For health workers, compensation
for occupational hazards and trade union involvement were two major missed
opportunities at this WHA.


*The above article is compiled with contributions from PHM's Ben Eder (UK),
Gargeya Telakapalli(India), Michael Ssemakula (Uganda)  Osama Ummer
(India), Kriti Shukla (India), Matheus Z Falcao (Brazil), Sophie Gepp
(Germany) and Natalie Rhodes (UK). *
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