5 December 2022—The WHPA last week sent an open letter to the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) for the WHO’s future pandemic treaty, welcoming the latest draft but also pointing out where support for health professionals still falls short. The third meeting of the INB is taking place on 5-7 December 2022.
The essential role of health and care workers in all areas of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response is not yet fully reflected in the draft; it is particularly crucial that health professions are equal partners in the co-development of national pandemic policies and are fully included in planning and financial decision making.
The letter especially highlights the need to add measures to help the health and care workforce to recover from exhaustion, mental health traumas and burn out, given the huge toll on the mental health of health workers of the COVID-19 pandemic; and the urgent need to protect health workers from violence at all times.
The letter was accompanied by concrete drafting suggestions and was also sent to Geneva missions to the United Nations who participate in negotiations at the WHO on behalf of member states.
To maximise the impact of the WHPA intervention, which raises a single, united voice to express the concerns of the five professions, a statement drawn from the letter was made at the INB session on 6 December by WHPA, represented by FDI.
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