Photo: U.S. Naval Hospital Naples staff attend caregiver stress-control training, July 2018. File photograph illustrating workforce support, not the WHO announcement. U.S. Navy / Christina Clarke, public domain. No military endorsement is implied.
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The World Health Organization has issued new policy options urging governments to treat care workers as an essential part of their health workforce, rather than planning health and care services separately.
The guidance, announced November 9 by the WHO Academy, addresses growing demand for support as populations age and more people live with disabilities or chronic health conditions.
WHO says care work is often carried out by women and girls, including people in unpaid roles. Yet responsibility for services can be divided between ministries and budgets, leaving care workers overlooked in workforce planning.
The publication examines 20 policy areas across workers’ careers, from recruitment and training to support during employment and departure from the workforce.
Two priorities stand out: stronger education and training, and better working conditions, including wages. The guidance also considers gender inequality, migrant status and differences between public and private employers.
WHO presents the document as a framework for policy-makers, employers, educators and regulators. It is not a binding international wage agreement.
Source: WHO’s November 9 announcement.
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