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Health and Social care services

Quality health care is important to families, societies and the economy – because healthy workers are more productive. The PSI – which represents 8 million health care workers – believes that care must be available to people who need it, not just to those who can pay. Health care is dangerous work. These workers, and the services they provide, are worthy of everyone’s support. Read more

142nd Session of WHO Executive Board endorses 13th General Programme of Work

25 January 2018

The 142nd session of the World Health Organization’s Executive Board (WHO EB 142) commenced in Geneva on 22 January and will end on 27 January. The Executive Board which is composed of 34 technically qualified members drawn from countries spread across the six regions of the WHO, holds a statutory meeting annually, in January.

Video: UNISON interviews General Secretary of NAHWAL about the ebola outbreak in Liberia

19 January 2018

UNISON interview with George Poe Williams, General Secretary of PSI affiliate the National Health Workers Association of Liberia (NAHWAL), who was on the front line when Ebola hit. In Liberia, the government arbitrarily fired health workers who were on the front lines of the fight against Ebola; simply because they were trying to ensure adequate protection and working conditions for public workers.

TOGO: Health Workers On Sit-Down Strike To Mount Pressure on Government to Improve Health Provisions

08 January 2018

A sit-down strike action by doctors and hospital practitioners of health centers and public hospitals in Togo has come into force to press home demands for the government to improve living and working conditions in the health sector.

WAHSUN turns 10 years old looking for new partners to meet health needs of West Africa

21 December 2017

The celebrations will take place in the third week of February of 2018 in Abuja, Nigeria, where the West African Health Sector Unions’ Network (WAHSUN) was founded on 9th November 2007.

Right to Health: central to kicking out HIV/AIDS

01 December 2017

The 2017 World AIDS Day is being marked today with the theme Right to Health, under the slogan Everybody counts. This is aimed at advocacy for universal access to safe, effective, quality healthcare. Public Services International welcomes this. PSI affiliates across the world will be organising or joining manifestations, conferences, workshops and other programmes to sensitize the public.

PSI addresses the 33rd Federal Congress of CFDT Santé Sociaux

29 November 2017
Baba Aye gives his speech at the CFDT Santé Sociaux congress in Vannes

The 33rd Federal Congress of the French health sector affiliate, CFDT Santé Sociaux, was held on 21-24 November 2017 at Vannes, in the North-West of the country. It was a moment for deliberation between the leadership and militants of the union towards building stronger union and its perspective that health workers constitute invaluable assets for the delivery of quality health care services.

Union victory for operating theatre nursing assistants

19 October 2017
HUG hospital building

Four months ago, the Geneva University Hospitals, HUG (Hôpitaux universitaires de Genève) took a unilateral decision to increase daily working time of operating theatre nursing assistants from 8 hours to 10 hours. With the support of their trade union SSP, the workers mobilised against the management decision and in November they will return to their usual 8-hour day.

Double standards: How the UK promotes rip-off health PPPs abroad

02 October 2017

The Jubilee Debt Campaign has released a new report: ‘Double standards: How the UK promotes rip-off health PPPs abroad’ (24 pages, with a 4 page executive summary). PSI and its affiliates has substantially contributed to the content of the report.

Parliamentary committee supports demands of health workers' union of ukraine

29 September 2017

The Health Committee of Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine reviewed the appeal of PSI affiliate, the Health Workers’ Union of Ukraine, to assist in meeting the healthcare workers’ demands towards public authorities made at the All-Ukrainian Protest on 19 September.

Worsening working conditions in the Swiss health sector

28 September 2017

Switzerland is globally reputed for having one of the world’s best healthcare systems. This could however be undermined by declining terms and conditions of work. Health workers constitute the backbone of healthcare services delivery and require decent work to render their services appropriately. But this is increasingly not being the case.

Averting health crisis in South Africa

25 September 2017

Health inequity in South Africa is rising to crisis proportions. The 20th edition of the South African Health Review which was recently released presents a dire picture of the future, if the problems of inadequate funding, acute staff shortages and policy/legislative gaps are not addressed immediately, with the seriousness this deserves.

Healthcare workers’ mass protest in Kiev: no to destruction of Ukrainian healthcare

20 September 2017

On 19 September, healthcare workers organised a mass protest in Kiev in which more than 1,500 people took part. Among their basic demands are the increase in healthcare subvention of almost 4 billion UAH, higher wages and payment of arrears, and reform of the healthcare system in compliance with the Constitution and legislation. The trade unions also want their voice to be heard.

Right to Health - Issue 03 (July/August 2017)

06 September 2017
Get the latest global news on health and social care services. People over Profit! #PublicHealth4All. Right to Health newsletter Issue 03/2017.

Chile decriminalises abortion under three circumstances

28 August 2017

Three years ago, the PSI Women’s Committee in Chile decided to support this struggle with a range of actions, including lobbying parliament, visits to the national congress, alliances with women’s organisations and raising the profile of this issue in the street and in the press.

Social security workers hold rally on Public Service Day

16 August 2017
Health workers and trade unionists rally in São Paulo

One of the highlights of the World Public Service Day, commemorated on 23 June, was the rally held in the centre of the city of São Paulo and organised by the National Confederation of Social Security Workers affiliated to the trade union centre CUT and by the São Paulo State Union of Public Sector Health Workers.