Background

Health services are one of the basic sectors of society and the economy. They touch the life of all population groups and thereby also of all workers. The ILO subscribes to the "Health For All" Strategy of the World Health Organization (WHO), which aims at achieving greater accessibility of health care through community-based provision of primary health care and other health services. While health challenges differ from country to country, there is near universal recognition of substantial inefficiencies in allocating human, material and financial resources. Therefore, many governments are rethinking the basic premises of the health care systems, which also shape the employment outlook for health care workers. Beyond its general concern about health protection for workers, the ILO attaches importance to the fact that the situation and working conditions of health care personnel is critical to the delivery of the services in this sector. Therefore, the ILO deals with this workforce (estimated employment 35 million worldwide) in specific labour standards and sectoral activities. Over the past three decades, the health professions have been growing rapidly in most countries, often more rapidly than the population. Due to demographic and epidemiological conditions, the demands on health services will further increase. So, probably, will employment opportunities in this field. However, the impact on employment appears to be subject to national conditions, financial resources, and the availability of trained personnel. Increasing costs of health care services, structural adjustment policies and cost-containment measures seem to have a negative impact on the employment, working conditions and career prospects of health personnel.