The World Health Assembly today adopted a joint ILO OECD WHO five-year action plan aimed at working with countries and key stakeholders to make progress towards expanding and transforming the health and social workforce. 

The plan calls on countries to view the health and social workforce as an investment rather than a cost, and outlines how ILO, OECD and WHO will take intersectoral action on five fronts: galvanizing political support; strengthening data and evidence; transforming and scaling up the education, skills and decent jobs of health and social workers; increasing investments in the health and social workforces; and maximizing the mutuality of benefits from international health worker mobility. The plan includes focus on maximizing women’s economic empowerment and participation; the occupational health and safety, protection and security of the health and social workforce in all settings; and the reform of service models towards the efficient provision of care, particularly in underserved areas.

Read the press release here.