Health

Four months ago, the Geneva University Hospitals, HUG (Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève) took a unilateral decision to increase daily working time of operating theatre nursing assistants from 8 hours to 10 hours. With the support of their trade union SSP, the workers mobilised against the management decision and in November they will return to their usual 8-hour day.

The Health Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine reviewed the appeal of PSI affiliate, the Health Workers’ Union of Ukraine, to assist in meeting the healthcare workers’ demands towards public authorities made at the All-Ukrainian Protest on 19 September.

Switzerland is globally reputed for having one of the world’s best healthcare systems. This could however be undermined by declining terms and conditions of work. Health workers constitute the backbone of healthcare services delivery and require decent work to render their services appropriately. But this is increasingly not being the case.

Health inequity in South Africa is rising to crisis proportions. The 20th edition of the South African Health Review which was recently released presents a dire picture of the future, if the problems of inadequate funding, acute staff shortages and policy/legislative gaps are not addressed immediately, with the seriousness this deserves.

On 19 September, healthcare workers organised a mass protest in Kiev in which more than 1,500 people took part. Among their basic demands are the increase in healthcare subvention of almost 4 billion UAH, higher wages and payment of arrears, and reform of the healthcare system in compliance with the Constitution and legislation. The trade unions also want their voice to be heard.

Get the latest global news on health and social care services. People over Profit! #PublicHealth4All. Right to Health newsletter Issue 03/2017.

Three years ago, the PSI Women’s Committee in Chile decided to support this struggle with a range of actions, including lobbying parliament, visits to the national congress, alliances with women’s organisations and raising the profile of this issue in the street and in the press.