Features

2010

1. 

   Social protection

   Paid sick leave pays off in times of crisis

   24 June 2010

   Paid sick leave plays a crucial role especially in times of crises where many workers fear dismissal and discrimination when reporting sick. A new ILO study shows that paid sick leave is not only affordable but pays off in terms of health and economic gains for employers, workers and the economy at large. ILO Online spoke with Xenia Scheil-Adlung, co-author of the study and ILO Health Policy Coordinator.

2008

1. 

   Article

   Microinsurance and OSH: helping to cope with workplace risks

   02 July 2008

   Work-related accidents and diseases take a grim toll every year. Although prevention can help improve occupational safety and health (OSH), microinsurance can also play a complementary role in coping with workplace risks and provide direct benefits to employers and workers. ILO Online reports.

2007

1. 

   Article

   Creating a "socialist harmonious society in the countryside": Towards universal health insurance in rural China

   30 January 2007

   In 2003, the government launched a New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance (NRCMI) with an ambitious objective of covering all rural residents by 2010. The new health insurance system is seen as a central pillar of the government's plan to improve the working and living conditions of the country's huge agricultural workforce and eliminate poverty in the countryside. Will it be feasible?

2005

1. Article

   Social health insurance in developing countries: breaking the poverty - health care link

   13 December 2005

   Every year, some 100 million people worldwide are forced into poverty by health care costs. Last week, more than 200 participants from 40 countries attending the "International Conference on Social Health Insurance in Developing Countries" in Berlin discussed how people can best be protected against financial shocks deriving from illness. It was the first international meeting organized by the ILO, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the German development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), following a 2004 agreement on common activities in the field of social protection. German journalist Anne Sieger reports from Berlin.