The World Health Professions Alliance speaks for more than 41 million health professionals worldwide, assembling essential knowledge and experience from the key health professions in more than 130 countries.
25 March 2021
The WHPA supports the WHO’s Vaccine Equity Declaration, which encourages countries to ensure that access to immunisation is determined by need, rather than wealth or geographic location.
Geneva, Switzerland, 1 October 2020 – The World Health Professions Alliance (WHPA) is launching a campaign to improve work environments for health professionals around the world.
WHPA are concerned about the report of the WHO secretariat regarding the involvement of Non-State Actors (NSAs) in governing body processes, in addition to the reactions from member states during the 145th session of the WHO Executive Board. We feel that the increase in the number of organisations in official relations with WHO, and their attendance at governing body meetings, reflects a healthy trend of increased transparency and dialogue on behalf of WHO and in our opinion, should not be restricted.
We are concerned by the inadequate access to quality NCD care and its insufficient inclusion in essential health benefit packages. 122 countries reported a disruption of NCD care due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a survey to WHO. If the burden of NCDs is to be effectively addressed, it is imperative to adopt a collaborative, interprofessional, community-based and person-centred approach.
The delivery of high-quality health services depends on environments that support decent work conditions. Throughout the pandemic, healthcare personnel have worked long hours, faced unwarrantable violence and worsened mental health in high-pressure environments. Under-investment has resulted in the deterioration of working conditions. The “protection and performance” of the HWF requires legally binding strategies to guarantee the safety of health personnel especially in high-risk settings, including rural areas.
WHPA supports the NCD implementation roadmap which aligns tools to PHC and UHC frameworks to shift health systems from models suited for acute illness to integrated primary care systems, supported by national guidelines, providing access to NCD diagnostics and essential medicines, as well as investment in the health workforce.