Background

Structural changes in the global economy such as public sector reforms, privatization, and the liberalization of trade and investment have led to the decline in the quality and investment in the public health sector worldwide. In this phenomenon, it is the women who are most negatively affected, as they comprise the majority of the health care workers. In the developed countries, many have left the health care sector because of deteriorating working conditions and pressures of poorly financed health care systems. To temporarily address the gap in their human resources, rich countries recruit health workers and professionals in huge numbers from developing countries where the health situation is already worse and the human resource badly needed. Women migrant health workers fill up the staffing needs of health systems in the receiving countries. Yet in many cases, these women health workers are badly treated. They suffer from low pay and are subjected to poor working conditions and the pressures of the workload. They face gender and racial discrimination and often lack access to union support.

It is the serious concern on the issue of the migration of health workers and neglected health care systems worldwide that Public Services International (PSI) established this campaign project in 2002. The project was endorsed by the Women’s Committee and the Health Services Task Force. 

The first phase of the project was a participatory action research to document the impact of the migration of public health service workers on health service delivery and the terms and conditions of employment in both sending and receiving countries.  [Read more...]

The second phase of the project focuses on three priorities, namely: international capacity building, information and exchange of best practices, and international policy-formulation and advocacy. [Read more...].

Three partnership meetings were held between the unions in the sending and receiving countries with the aim of establishing bilateral cooperation between unions in implementing project activities.[Read more...]

The third phase of the project focuses on strengthening the capacity of public sector trade unions in addressing the causes and impact of migration in the health sector through organizing, education and capacity building, information dissemination and exchange, advocacy and alliance building, union representation and collective bargaining. [Read more...]

Participating Unions

Select the region to view a list of unions both in sending and receiving countries:

• Inter-America;
• Africa & Arab countries;
• Asia-Pacific;
• Europe