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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Ellen Rosskam, PhD, MPH, Department of Work Environment, Visiting Prof., Univ. Mass., Lowell, Visiting Senior Fellow, Univ. of Surrey (UK), European Institute Health & Medical Sciences, 34D Route du Prieur, Landecy, 1257 La Croix-de-Rozon, Geneva, Switzerland, (+41) 22-347-6846, eerosskam@yahoo.com

Public health services are being liberalized world wide, opened to foreign service providers, often turned into private services through privatization, marketization, commercialization, and deregulation, with changes being driven by international financial institutions. National public health systems or universal access to care are not the vision of the liberalized model. Policies leading to the marketization of public health services are resulting in widening social disparities, diminishing access to health services for the poor, leading to worsening health outcomes, and increasing insecurity for employees in the health sector in countries around the world. Vulnerable groups are disproportionately affected, including women, children and the elderly. In most countries, people are unable to pay for medical treatment and medicines. In some countries, only fee-for-service hospitals have the necessary medicines to treat contagious and potentially fatal diseases. From Africa and Asia to Eastern Europe, many public health systems are in decline, lacking in human resources and capital investment. Infectious diseases, such as TB and AIDS, have gained media attention in relation to population health, but those working in the health systems are also at high risk, lacking protection from exposures, often working in conditions where the spread of infection cannot be contained. Often health workers' salaries are unpaid, training forgone, benefits neglected, leave cancelled. Little is known about the changes taking place in public health services, long considered to be a public “right”. Findings from recent global research conducted by ILO and Public Services International will be presented. Policy recommendations to reverse current trends include a public health approach, emphasizing prevention and universal access to health care, increasing investment in health care systems, and involving health workers' voice in policy and decision-making.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Describe at least 4 negative impacts on health workers from the trend to liberalize and marketize health services in various regions of the world.
• Articulate how the privatization of health services results in widening social disparities.
• Analyze the means by which this trend leads to worsening population health outcomes.
• Recognize the economic and political forces driving these trends.
• Evaluate alternative policy recommendations based on equity, equality of access to care, promotion of the rights of health workers, and social justice.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No