Join the Frontline Health Workers Coalition at the 77th World Health Assembly
On May 27, 2024 we'll host Innovate, Invest, Empower, Protect: A Symposium for Shaping the Future of the Health Workforce.
The 77th World Health Assembly marks a pivotal time in global health. Political declarations from recent UN High-Level Meetings, the anticipated adoption of the Pandemic Accord, and other mechanisms all necessitate a robust health workforce. But health workers–especially women–continue to face challenges like inadequate compensation, unsafe workplaces, inadequate protection during war and conflict, gender inequity, and accessing additional training to meet the changing health needs of their communities.
The Frontline Health Workers Coalition will host an in-person symposium on May 27 with insightful panel discussions on best practices, locally led solutions, and partnerships to create an enabling environment for health workers. See the program and bios for the symposium.
To achieve and sustain health targets, greater focus must be put on the nurses, community health workers, midwives, pharmacists, and other professionals that comprise the backbone of health systems and deliver health services “at the last mile” to people in remote communities around the world.
While the implementation of policies to support and integrate frontline and community health workers into the health system is slow, there are pockets of success, new research, as well as opportunities for cross-sectoral collaboration to address the health workforce gap. The WHO Global Health and Care Workers Compact and the new Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter offer blueprints for achieving safer, more equitable conditions for health workers within the framework of universal health coverage.
Join us on May 27
How do we create an enabling environment for all cadres of health workers, especially those who work at the community level and may not be adequately integrated in the health system?
Let's discuss on May 27 during Innovate, Invest, Empower, Protect: A Symposium for Shaping the Future of the Health Workforce hosted by the Frontline Health Workers Coalition and our members CARE USA, IntraHealth International, Johnson & Johnson, Living Goods, Pathfinder International, Project HOPE, SEED Global Health, and Smile Train. We'll explore the investments needed to translate global health workforce commitments to action, including through proper remuneration, continued training, and access to career growth as well as financing mechanisms to support these efforts.
Speakers will highlight examples of projects and partnerships that show increased investments in the protection, continued training, and remuneration of all cadres of health workers lead to stronger health systems and better health outcomes.
Program and confirmed speakers
Welcome
- Crystal Lander, Executive Vice President, Pathfinder International
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Tina Flores, Director, Frontline Health Workers Coalition
Keynote remarks
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Hon. Dr. Robert Lucien Jean-Claude Kargougou, Minister of Health, Burkina Faso
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Hon. Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, Secretary of Health, Philippines
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Hon. Sylvia Masebo, Minister of Health, Zambia (TBC)
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Michele Sumilas, Assistant to the Administrator, USAID
Panel 1—Best practices and locally-led solutions for creating an enabling environment for health workers: Compensation, training, integration, empowerment
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Crystal Lander, Executive Vice President, Pathfinder International and Chair, Frontline Health Workers Coalition (panel moderator)
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Paul Marsden, Senior Health Workforce Specialist, World Health Organization
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Chikwe Mbweeda, CARE Zambia Director
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Dr. Uche Ralph Opara, Chief Health Officer, Project HOPE
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Vicky Reed, Nurse and Interim Executive Director, Partners in Health, Sierra Leone
Short film introduction
- Susannah Schaefer, President and CEO, Smile Train
Short film—"Healthier Together: A Path to a Better World"
This short film was produced for Kids Operating Room & partners Smile Train by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions and presented by the WHO Foundation.
Remarks
- Catherine Kane, Technical Officer, Health Workforce, WHO
- Jules Souleymane Gaye, Country Director, Burkina Faso, Living Goods
Panel 2—Making it happen: Supporting and protecting health workers through partnerships
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Jed Meline, Director, Policy & Advocacy, Project HOPE and Policy CoChair, Frontline Health Workers Coalition (panel moderator)
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Irene Atuhairwe, Seed Global Health Country Director, Uganda
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Priya Basu, Executive Head, The Pandemic Fund
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Dr. Carlos Castillejos, Global Head, Medical & Patient Assistance Solutions, Global Health Equity, Johnson & Johnson
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Michelle Erwee, Global Head of Access to Medicines, Takeda
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Jules Souleymane Gaye, Country Director, Burkina Faso, Living Goods
Reflections
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Dr. Hanna B. Demeke, Nurse Epidemiologist
Call to Action
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Madhu Deshmukh, Vice President Program Strategy and Innovations, CARE USA
The event seeks to catalyze collaboration across sectors and among different partners to implement solutions. Space is limited. Register now to join us for panel discussions on best practices, locally led solutions, and partnerships that create an enabling environment for health workers.