monitoring of the who global code of practice on the international ...

MONITORING OF THE WHO GLOBAL CODE OF PRACTICE ON
THE INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT OF HEALTH PERSONNEL
THE PHILIPPINE MULTISTAKEHOLDER APPROACH
INTRODUCTION
Reaching a landmark decision on 21 May 2010 at <strong>the</strong> Sixty-­‐third World Health Assembly
(WHA), <strong>the</strong> 193 Member States <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> World Health Organization (WHO) adopted <strong>the</strong> WHO
Global Code <strong>of</strong> Practice on <strong>the</strong> International Recruitment <strong>of</strong> Health Personnel(The Code).This
marks a historic milestone in <strong>the</strong> <strong>global</strong> efforts since 2004 to develop a <strong>code</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>practice</strong> that
addresses health workforce migration, given <strong>the</strong> observed critical shortage in health
personnel and weakened health systems experienced by some 57 source countries identified
by WHO. The Code promotes voluntary principles and <strong>practice</strong>s for ethical recruitment <strong>of</strong>
health personnel, considering <strong>the</strong> rights, obligations and expectations <strong>of</strong> source countries,
destination countries and migrant health personnel. It intends to serve as a reference for
Member States in establishing or improving <strong>the</strong> legal and institutional framework required
for international recruitment <strong>of</strong> health personnel and in <strong>the</strong> formulation <strong>of</strong> bilateral
agreements and o<strong>the</strong>r international legal instruments. The WHA recommends that <strong>the</strong> Code
be a core component <strong>of</strong> bilateral agreements, and national, regional and <strong>global</strong> responses to
health personnel migration and health systems streng<strong>the</strong>ning, particularly in developing
countries, and countries with economies in transition. The Code is expected to facilitate and
promote international discussion as it poses as a guide for Member States to work with
various stakeholders (such as health personnel, recruiters, employers, health pr<strong>of</strong>essional
organizations, and o<strong>the</strong>r organizations).
Among <strong>the</strong> guiding principles, <strong>the</strong> Code asserts that <strong>the</strong> “health <strong>of</strong> all is fundamental to <strong>the</strong>
attainment <strong>of</strong> peace and security,” for which individuals and states should render fullest
cooperation. Member states, recruiters, employers, and stakeholders are enjoined to
observe <strong>the</strong> voluntary international principles on ethical recruitment <strong>of</strong> health personnel to
mitigate negative effects and maximize positive effects on health systems worldwide, for
both source and destination countries, and upon <strong>the</strong> health personnel <strong>the</strong>mselves.
The Code provides for <strong>the</strong> designation <strong>of</strong> a national authority responsible for
implementation (Article 7.3). Fur<strong>the</strong>rmore, <strong>the</strong> Code enjoins <strong>the</strong> participation <strong>of</strong>
international development organizations in rendering assistance to member countries.
It was planned that <strong>the</strong> implementation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Code would be monitored for <strong>the</strong> first time in
2012 and <strong>the</strong>reafter every three years. The first round <strong>of</strong> national and <strong>global</strong> data will be
used for <strong>the</strong> WHO Director-­‐General’s report to <strong>the</strong> 2013 WHA to assess effectiveness and
determine necessary improvements to <strong>the</strong> Code’s implementation and <strong>monitoring</strong>.
Responding to <strong>the</strong> call for <strong>the</strong> national <strong>monitoring</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Code, <strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Health-­‐
Health Human Resources for Health Bureau (DOH-­‐HHRDB) initiated multistakeholder
consultations with <strong>the</strong> Department <strong>of</strong> Labor and Employment (DOLE) and in partnership with
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