Resources on Health services sector

  1. Caring for those who care – Guide for the development and implementation of occupational health and safety programmes for health workers

    18 February 2022

  2. Caring for those who care: National Programmes for Occupational Health for Health Workers

    22 October 2021

    This policy brief, jointly produced by WHO and ILO, is intended to provide a short overview on the issues and recommendations for policy decision-makers in ministries of health and ministries of employment and labour; local authorities; managers of health facilities; professional associations of the various groups of health workers; and organizations of workers and employers in the health sector.

  3. Caring for those who care: National Programmes for Occupational Health for Health Workers

    19 October 2021

    A joint ILO-WHO policy brief

  4. COVID-19: Occupational health and safety for health workers

    05 February 2021

    This WHO-ILO document provides guidance on occupational health and safety measures for health workers and occupational health services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also outlines the rights and responsibilities for health and safety at work for health workers according to the standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The document is intended for employers and health-facility managers, health workers and their representatives, occupational health and safety experts, infection prevention and control experts in public and private health facilities and policy-makers at national and subnational levels.

  5. COVID-19 and health facilities: Checklist of measures to be taken in health facilities

    15 July 2020

    This checklist applies the ILO-WHO HealthWISE participatory, action-orientated approach to prevent COVID-19 infection in health facilities and protect health personnel. HealthWISE is a practical, participative method for improving the quality of workplaces and practices in health facilities. This checklist with a focus on how to protect health personnel during the response to COVID-19 has been drawn up by the ILO (International Labour Organization) in consultation with WHO (World Health Organization) and with the support of the Multi-Partner Trust Fund of the joint ILO-OECD-WHO programme Working for Health (version 1, June 2020).

  6. The future of work in the health sector

    06 February 2019

    This paper explores how changing technology, demographics and other drivers will change work in the health care sector. Such changes will provide opportunities and pose challenges to governments, employers and workers in the field.

  7. Decent Working Time for Nursing Personnel: Critical for Worker Well-being and Quality Care

    19 December 2018

    This policy brief highlights the importance of decent working time arrangements for the quality of care, and provides practical information on addressing working time issues with a focus on nursing personnel.

  8. Back to the Future: Challenges and opportunities for the future of work addressed in ILO sectoral meetings since 2010

    10 May 2018

    This working paper summarises how issues directly related to the future of work have been discussed by ILO constituents in sectoral meetings held since 2010, as further material for reflection by the Global Commission on the Future of Work, as it carries out its important and ambitious programme of work. It has also been prepared to inform and inspire ILO constituents in specific sectors, who in recent years have launched their own debates and exchanges at national, regional and global levels on the future of work.

  9. Improving Employment and working conditions in health services

    21 March 2017

    This report has been prepared by the International Labour Office as a basis for discussions at the Tripartite Meeting on Improving Employment and Working Conditions in Health Services, to be held from 24 to 28 April 2017 in Geneva. It provides an overview on recent developments in the health sector and reviews challenges and opportunities for enhancing decent work in health services.

  10. South Africa: Case study on working time organization and its effects in the health services sector

    21 March 2017

    The present working paper explores the complex issues around working time organization and their effects in the health services sector in South Africa. It is one of the products of a research initiative jointly carried out by the ILO Working Conditions and Equality Department (WORKQUALITY) and the ILO Sectoral Policies Department (SECTOR), in follow-up to the Conclusions of the Tripartite Meeting of Experts on Working Time Arrangements (2011). The research initiative aimed to develop a better understanding on how contemporary working time arrangements function in specific sectors and for different types of workers with the main objective of identifying aspects where improvements in working time arrangements and related practices can better meet both workers’ needs and organizational requirements.