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Human Resources for Health
Published in: Human Resources for Health 1/2016

Open Access 01-06-2016 | Research

The Code of Practice and its enduring relevance in Europe and Eastern and Southern Africa

Authors: Remco van de Pas, Linda Mans, Giulia de Ponte, Yoswa Dambisya

Published in: Human Resources for Health | Special Issue 1/2016

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Abstract

Background

The relevance and effectiveness of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Personnel will be reviewed by the World Health Assembly in 2015. The origins of the Code of Practice and the global health diplomacy process before and after its adoption are analyzed herein.

Methods and Results

Case studies from the European and eastern and southern African regions describe in detail successes and failures of the policy implementation of the Code. In Europe, the Code is effective and even more relevant than before, but might require some tweaking. In Eastern and Southern Africa, the code is relevant but far from efficient in mitigating the negative effects of health workforce migration.

Conclusions

Solutions to strengthen the Code include clarification of some of its definitions and articles, inclusion of a governance structure and asustainable and binding financing system to reimburse countries for health workforce losses due to migration, and featuring of health worker migration on global policy agendas across a range of institutional policy domains.
Footnotes
1
Sixteen countries reported changes to health worker pay, almost all in direct response to the crisis (Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, United Kingdom). In some countries, especially those with economic adjustment programmes, pay cuts have been substantial.
 
2
The Action Plan for the EU Health Workforce is in fact an annex to the Commission’s Communication towards a Job-Rich Recovery, which sets out a range of measures to encourage employment within the Europe 2020 framework for smart, sustainable, and inclusive growth.
 
3
Free mobility of workers and services within the EU internal market is an economic imperative and a civil right enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty. The EU can increasingly be seen as a single labour market for health workers. It should also be seen as a protected market, given that Directive 2005/36/EC on Recognition of Professional Qualifications gives health workers from the European Economic Area (EEA) easier access to employment than their non-EEA counterparts.
 
4
Health Workers for All and All for Health Workers is a partnership connecting civil society organizations in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
 
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Metadata
Title
The Code of Practice and its enduring relevance in Europe and Eastern and Southern Africa
Authors
Remco van de Pas
Linda Mans
Giulia de Ponte
Yoswa Dambisya
Publication date
01-06-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Human Resources for Health / Issue Special Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1478-4491
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-016-0122-y

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