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Health and Social care services

Quality health care is important to families, societies and the economy – because healthy workers are more productive. The PSI – which represents 8 million health care workers – believes that care must be available to people who need it, not just to those who can pay. Health care is dangerous work. These workers, and the services they provide, are worthy of everyone’s support. Read more

Korea: KHMU Campaigns Against For-Profit Hospitals

04 April 2019
KHMU members protest against the for-profit hospital in Jeju.

The Korean Health and Medical Union (KHMU) will organise a series of campaigns this year to defend the right to quality public healthcare and for workers’ rights in the sector. At its 21st anniversary ceremony and regular congress which took place on 27-28 February, the union decided to include all-out mobilisation against the expansion of for-profit hospitals and against precarious work.

Community Health Workers in Pakistan – a struggle for union registration

02 April 2019

The Community Health Workers programme in Pakistan, commonly known as Lady Health Workers, LHWs programme was started in 1994 with a staff of nearly 30,000 women. Over the years, the programme has expanded to more than 125,000 employees deployed in all districts of the country. They serve as the cadre that links first-level care facilities to communities.

India federal budget pushes private insurance in health

02 April 2019
Enrolling for National Health Insurance in India. Photo: ILO

Every year, around 55 million Indians are pushed into poverty due to catastrophic healthcare expenditures. And this is only one of the symptoms of a broken system that is also entrenched in ethical issues over inappropriate treatment in private facilities, overcrowded and underfunded public facilities and deteriorating work conditions.

Towards World Health Day 2019

25 March 2019

7 April has been celebrated since 1950 as World Health Day (WHD). This is to commemorate the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1947, and quite importantly to draw global attention to important issues in international health. WHO provides institutional leadership for WHD as a global health awareness day. This includes setting a theme.

The Long Term Plan for the NHS in England

24 March 2019
Health staff discuss the long term plan with UK Prime Minister Theresa May

The UK National Health Service has just published its latest plan for how the NHS in England should be organised over the next five years and beyond. This 136-page document represents a vision of a future health service that is based more on treating patients outside of hospitals, with a larger role for new digital technology and, in theory at least, a much smaller role for market competition.

France: Let's talk about staffing again

24 March 2019
Paramedics and healthcare staff

French union CFDT Santé Sociaux (health and social services) decided to continue with the survey on staffing for paramedics and healthcare staff it initiated in 2017. General Secretary Eve Rescanières explains that this annual barometer is part of the roadmap that the federation has set itself in terms of investment in European bodies and international trade union involvement.

Bulgarian Federation of Trade Unions - Health Services continues to defend workers and public health

24 March 2019
Ivan Kokalov, President of Federation of Bulgarian Trade Unions - Health Services

The Bulgarian Federation of Trade Unions - Health Services works with regional councils around the country to ensure health sector workers all over Bulgaria benefit from labour protection, guarantees on the right to work, decent wages and better quality of life and social status.

Presentations: PSI/ILO Health Campaign Meeting

22 May 2017

The presentations below were made at the PSI/ILO Health Campaign Meeting held 15-16 May in Dushambe, Tajikistan. The meeting served to strengthen PSI health and social services strategy, to collect views and develop a consensus on the actions that affiliates and PSI will pursue with regard to the major issues identified for the sector.

PSI Releases Booklet series on Healthcare Workers in South Asia

14 April 2017

Non-Standard Work in the Healthcare Sector in South Asia is a series of publications aimed at disseminating information on the challenges facing the health workforce in the region, both in the public and private sector. Overall, we hope that the booklets published under the series will provide a window into the issues of interest of Public Services International, South Asia and areas of possible collaboration with existing and future allies in the struggle for Health for All with Decent Work around the world.

Manifesto of the PSI Human Right to Health Global Campaign

13 April 2017

A better Future with Public Health for All: PSI's global campaign for the Human Right to Health aims at building a mass global movement that could influence concrete policies towards attaining Universal Public Health Coverage (UPHC).

Statement from the "Public-Private Partnership and the Right to Health" seminar

28 March 2017

At the initiative of PSI and in conjunction with the National Federation of Public Service Unions of Togo, a sub-regional seminar on "Public-Private Partnership and the Right to Health" was organised from 7 to 8 February 2017 at Jesse House Hotel, in Lomé, TOGO.

Report: The Role of Public Service Trade Unions in achieving Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities

21 March 2017

PSI, with ILO/ACTRAV and ILO/GED support, held a meeting 8-9 of December 2016, on "The Role of Public Service Trade Unions in achieving Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities" in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting built on a survey conducted by PSI and ILO of PSI affiliates’ initiatives on disability inclusion, and on ILO research giving a global overview of trade unions actions on disability inclusion.

Presentations: The Role of Public Service Trade Unions in achieving Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities

21 March 2017

These presentations were made at the PSI meeting held 8-9 December 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland with ACTRAV and GED support. The meeting builds on a survey conducted by PSI and ILO of PSI affiliates’ initiatives on disability inclusion, and on ILO research giving a global overview of trade unions actions on disability inclusion.

Health Ministerial Meeting: Joint trade union statement

13 January 2017

The Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and the Public Services International (PSI) have prepared a joint statement prior to the OECD Health Ministerial Meeting taking place in Paris on 17 January where Ministers from over 35 OECD and partner countries will exchange their ideas, ambitions and challenges for The Next Generation of Health Reforms.

High-Level Policy Forum & OECD Health Ministerial (Paris)

13 January 2017

Public Services International (PSI) and The Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) will be participating and contributing to the High-Level Policy Forum on 16 January and OECD Health Ministerial on 17 January 2017.

PSI Health Task Force (Geneva)

10 November 2016
Photo: Direct Relief - Creative Commons

PSI is holding this meeting with major affiliates in the health and social services sector to review and renew the PSI health and social services strategy, and to collect views and develop a consensus on the actions that affiliates and PSI should pursue with regard to the major issues that we have provisionally identified for the sector.

Event: The Role of Public Service Trade Unions in achieving Decent Work for Persons with Disabilities

07 November 2016

Achieving Decent Work for All, and realising the Sustainable Development Goals, requires focussed work to include persons with disabilities. This PSI meeting, with the support of ILO Bureau for Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) and the Gender, Equality and Diversity branch (GED), is an opportunity to develop knowledge, awareness and advocacy relevant for a range of actors in their governance, actions and aims.

First meeting of the Guideline Development Group for the WHO

10 October 2016
Community health worker - Direct Relief - Creative Commons

PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli has been invited to participate as an expert in the Guideline Development Group (GDG) for the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines on health policy and systems support for community health worker programmes. The GDG will meet in Geneva for the first time on October 10-11 2016.

Public meeting on neoliberalism and healthcare in South Asia

22 September 2016

The healthcare sector in South Asian countries has seen significant restructuring with an increase in private sector participation in provisioning. The discussion will explore the linkages between neoliberal reforms and informalisation of employment; explore the trends in employment patterns in Nepal, India and Sri Lanka; as well as look into some of the trade union responses to this growing phenomenon.

Video: Greek health clinic treats victims of austerity

13 December 2013

The Elliniko community health clinic has become a symbol of solidarity for people in Greece who are being denied access to universal healthcare. The free municipal clinic has served more than 15,000 patients since it opened in 2011. Though a valiant initiative, run through donations and volunteers, is it a sustainable long-term solution to the pains caused by austerity and privatised health services?

Photos: World Social Forum, Tunis 2013

15 April 2013
World Social Forum - Tunisia March 2013
Source: Flickr

Public Services International had the strongest global union presence at the World Social Forum 26-30 March 2013 in Tunis, Tunisia. PSI hosted and co-sponsored numerous events on trade union rights, youth, water, women’s issues, tax justice, energy and climate change.

Preventing Hepatitis

22 November 2011

“Preventing Hepatitis” addresses the specific need to vaccinate healthcare workers against Hepatitis A & B in less than 2 minutes.

Tags: 
Health
OHS
HIV/AIDS

The Essential Sharp Sense

22 November 2011

This is a 4 minute summary of the 17 minute video SHARP SENSE produced by the global union federation Public Services International.

Tags: 
Health
OHS
HIV/AIDS

Sharp Sense: Promoting the safety of health care workers

17 November 2011

Healthcare workers face the risk every day of exposure to bloodborne pathogens because of needlestick injuries. In this short video, a nurse, an HIV/AIDS counsellor and an HIV/AIDS physician share their personal experiences with needlestick injuries.

Tags: 
Health
HIV/AIDS