The 2006 World Health Report focuses on the chronic shortages of doctors, midwives, nurses and other health care support workers in the poorest countries of the world where they are most needed. This is particularly true in sub-Saharan Africa, which has only four in every hundred global health workers but has a quarter of the global burden of disease, and less than one per cent of the world's financial resources. Poor working conditions, high rates of attrition due to illness and migration, and education systems that are unable to pick up the slack reflect the depth of the challenges in these crisis countries. This report considers the challenges involved and sets out a 10-year action plan designed to tackle the crisis over the next ten years, by which countries can strengthen their health system by building their health workforces and institutional capacity with the support of global partners.
In June 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened national public health stakeholders from 21 countries and WHO staff to establish a community of practice among public health stakeholders, with a specific focus on strengthening PHSM research and policies. This report provides an account of the discussions, outcomes and advice put forth during the meeting, highlighting the shared commitment to advancing PHSM research, decision-making and global monitoring of policies. At the meeting, national public health stakeholders shared case examples describing their experiences with PHSM implementation during health emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Through case studies presented by representatives from each country, as well as the discussions that followed, several key factors were identified that facilitated successful PHSM responses, namely, the existence of legal mechanisms for emergency responses, multisectoral collaboration, multisectoral governance, surveillance and contact tracing, national research initiatives, international recommendations and evidence in the absence of robust local data and research, community engagement, and social protection measures to mitigate the unintended negative consequences of PHSM. In addition, participants discussed challenges they had experienced relating to PHSM implementation and reflected on the additional resources and capacities that could have supported more effective PHSM. The report details these experiences, discussions as well as a call to action for PHSM participants put forth, encouraging all countries to commit to taking actions to strengthen PHSM as an essential countermeasure for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response.
This facilitators' guide for training community health workers (CHWs) and community volunteers (CVs) is intended for training in tuberculosis (TB) and integration of TB prevention and care services into community-based activities. The training lasts 3 days. It includes a PowerPoint slide set which is an integral part of the guide. Together these allow the facilitator to progress carefully from one idea to the next. This document is not for use directly by CHWs or CVs. The training includes six training modules. It starts with introductions objectives and norms followed by a brief presentation of the ENGAGE-TB approach which will enable CHWs and CVs to integrate TB activities into their existing work. The third module allows substantial time for CHWs and CVs to understand the basics of TB: its signs and symptoms and how it can be prevented and treated. The fourth module deals with integration of community-based TB services into community work. This is followed by a field visit to a TB clinic so that CHWs understand how clinical and laboratory aspects are handled. Finally the CHWs and CVs reflect on what they have learnt and describe how they will integrate TB services into their work on their return home.
The document provides guidance to all WHO colleagues who plan and manage technical and operational functions, setting out systematic approaches for proactive engagement with the opportunities and challenges presented by emerging changes, new technologies and trends in our working environment.
Many of the world's population lives in villages and rural areas without access to safe water sources or basic sanitation. This guide has been developed as part of the 'healthy villages' project to improve the health of rural communities by promoting local awareness and actions by community groups. It covers topics including: water and sanitation, drainage, waste management, housing quality, domestic and community hygiene, and provision of local health services.
For a large proportion of the global population, mental health and work are integrally intertwined. Mental health is more than the absence of mental health conditions. Rather, mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, to realize their abilities, to learn well and work well, and to contribute to their communities. Mental health conditions occur irrespective of whether work has causally contributed to them. Poor mental health has a negative effect on a person’s cognitive, behavioural, emotional, social and relational well-being and functioning, their physical health, and their personal identity and well-being as related to work. A person’s capacity to participate in work can be consequently impaired through a reduction in productivity and performance, reduction in the ability to work safely, or difficulty in retaining or gaining work. Presenteeism (or lost productivity, which is where the largest financial costs lie), absenteeism and staff turnover affect both workers and employers and, in turn, the society’s economy. An estimated 15% of working-age adults have a mental disorder at any point in time. The size of the public health problem of mental health conditions is greater than the volume of investment to address it. This is the case despite international conventions calling for the protection of workers’ physical and mental health through national policies in occupational safety and health.
There is a growing health workforce crisis in many countries. In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, the disparity in supply and demand, geographic maldistribution in urban and rural setting, and imbalance in the number of different categories of professionals, represent further dimensions of the crisis facing health system development, and its health workforce. Human resources for health include trained health professionals, as well as non-health professionals, working in health systems and those who have gained some caring knowledge and skills and volunteer to support health in families and communities. The Health Workforce Development Series represents a major contribution on the part of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean to the Human resources for Health Decade 2006-2015. It is aimed at supporting Member States of the Region in improving health system performance in general, and the health workforce in particular, through boosting institutional capacity building for human resources development. The series is generic, user-friendly, and has been specifically designed to meet the special needs of different countries in the Region for rapid yet sustainable health system improvement. Each country can select actions applicable to its own context for health system strengthening
The ERF provides WHO staff with essential guidance on how the Organization manages the assessment, grading and response to public health events and emergencies with health consequences, in support of Member States and affected communities. The ERF adopts an all-hazards approach and it is therefore applicable in all acute public health events and emergencies. This version (2024) of the WHO ERF has been developed following extensive consultation across the three levels of the Organization and response experiences over the last five years of emergency response. Key areas have been updated to improve the accountability, predictability, timeliness and effectiveness of WHO’s response to emergencies.
The organisation of mental health services has an important bearing on the effectiveness of service delivery and on the achievement of objectives of national mental health policies. This publication does not aim to prescribe a single model for service organisation, as this depends on the social, cultural, political and economic context within individual countries; rather it seeks to highlight examples of good practice in successful service delivery models in order to provide guidance to countries in different regions of the world on the key issues involved. This publication is also available as part of a set of eight mental health policy and service publications containing practical guidance to assist policy-makers and planners in WHO member countries (ISBN 0119894173).
The workforce established by the polio eradication programme have provided valuable support to COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Their work demonstrates that the skills, tools and expertise that have been built to eradicate polio can be repurposed effectively to build back stronger and more resilient public health systems. Lessons-learned from their role in COVID-19 vaccination efforts and essential immunization proves the case for a successful polio transition and the critical need to sustain this network to continue contributing to broader public health and immunization goals.
This is the 2024 update of the Compendium of WHO and other UN guidance on health and environment. The Compendium is a comprehensive collection of available WHO and other UN guidance for improving health by creating healthier environments. It provides an overview and easy access of more than 500 actions, and a framework for thinking about health and environment interventions. It covers a broad range of areas such as air pollution, water, sanitation and hygiene, climate change, chemicals, radiation, or food systems. Guidance is classified according to principal sectors involved, level of implementation (national, community, health care), the type of instrument (taxes, infrastructure etc.) and the category of evidence. The Compendium compiles existing guidance from hundreds of documents in a simple and systematized format. To ensure the most up-to-date information is provided to the end users, the Compendium is updated on a regular basis and incorporates the latest major WHO or other UN guidance on health and environment. The target audience includes any decision-makers with relevance to health and environment, and those assisting them (such as mayors, staff in ministries, UN country staff etc.). The Compendium has been prepared by WHO in cooperation with UN Environment, UNDP and UNICEF.
This paper focuses on the prevention and control of infectious diseases. The WHO reported that infectious diseases caused about 25% of child and young adult mortality as of 1998. In low-income countries, infectious diseases account for 45% of deaths, and are also responsible for 63% of child mortality and 48% premature death. The 6 infectious diseases that caused 90% of the mortality cases include acute respiratory infections (pneumonia and influenza), HIV/AIDS, diarrhea, tuberculosis (TB), malaria, and measles. The obstacles that these diseases pose on health and the economy can be removed through disease prevention and control with cost-effective strategies, such as childhood vaccinations, bednets for malaria, directly observed treatment short-course for TB, integrated management of childhood diseases, antibiotics, and HIV prevention. Due to increased travel, the emergence of diseases and unexpected outbreaks, resistance to antibiotics, and economic development, infectious diseases have become a serious problem both in the developing and industrialized countries.
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