WHO writes "protecting the occupational health of health workers is critical to having an adequate workforce of trained and health health personnel." I really like this quote. The health of health workers is so important because they take care of people who are sick. In the healthcare setting, workers are exposed to biological hazards like TB, Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, and others. WHO reported that 37% of hepatitis B among health workers resulted from workplace exposure and that only 20% of health workers in some places in the world are vaccinated. The WHO Global Plan of Action encourages members to create national programs for occupational health among health workers and for WHO to create national hepatitis B immunization campaigns.
I work at an urgent care clinic at San Francisco International Airport. Though I do not do direct patient care, I can be exposed to biological hazards and psychological hazards in this setting. Before I was hired to work at the clinic, I had to undergo a pre-employment physical where I had to provide my vaccination history and have titers drawn to confirm my vaccinations. Apparently, this may not be routine in all parts of the world given the statistic of hepatitis B vaccination rate being only 20% in some places. I am glad we have an international organization, WHO, to help advocate for and protect the health of health workers.
I fully support you! I did like the quote as well. I wish it was the same for all workers. Thinking deeper I believe all workers are important and should be properly protected. WHO does a good job in protecting workers rights and ensuring that employers are responsible for workers health.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a wonderful quote to adhere by! I am also a huge advocate for the WHO. The work that this organization does to help each type of population across the globe is truly astounding!
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