Philippine worries over losing more health workers

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is pushing for stronger language in the Pandemic Treaty being negotiated to ensure developing countries retain the required number of health workers as the World Health Organization (WHO) projects a global shortfall of up to 18 million health workers by 2030 and developed countries need to address the gap.

The country delivered the joint statement of the Group for Equity on the subject of Health and Care Workforce during the 6th Meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response – also known as the Pandemic Treaty.

The Group for Equity recognized health and care workers as the “most important component of health systems” and called for a dedicated article in the treaty that includes a clear reference to established instruments on international recruitment, investment in training in developing member-states, respect for labor standards, human rights and non-discrimination.

“The WHO projects a global shortfall of up to 18 million health workers by 2030 and in the developed world, a large part of the gap in supply will be sourced from developing countries,” First Secretary Jeff Valdez of the Philippine Permanent Mission in Geneva said. “We would therefore welcome stronger language that would help ensure that developing member-states are able to retain the required number of health workers, especially during pandemics.”