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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">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<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><a href="https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/06/01/looking-at-healthcare-workers-only-as-heroes-does-them-a-disservice/"><span style="color:blue">June 01, 2020</span></a> by PHM <a href="https://peoplesdispatch.org/author/who-watch-team/"><span style="color:blue">WHO-Watch Team</span></a> <br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">The resolution passed at the World
Health Assembly largely failed to address the working conditions of health
workers and other front-line workers. <span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">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?<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">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 <a href="https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA73/A73_CONF1Rev1-en.pdf"><span style="color:blue">Resolution on COVID-19 response</span></a>.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">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.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">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.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">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.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">However,
some critical issues were not addressed. In a <a href="https://extranet.who.int/nonstateactorsstatements/meetingoutline/6"><span style="color:blue">statement submitted online</span></a>, 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.”<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">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.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">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 <a href="https://publicservices.international/resources/news/international-workers-memorial-day-remember-the-dead-fight-for-the-living?id=10757&lang=en"><span style="color:blue">international trade union movement</span></a>. “WHO’s <i>Considerations
for public health and social measures in the workplace</i> 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.<span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><b><i><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><br></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><b><i><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times">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). </span></i></b><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Times"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:Cambria"><span> </span></p>
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