This pilot learning project seeks to understand more about the relationship between health rights and the rights of health workers, as they risk their own lives to protect the lives of others. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has put unprecedented strain on health care systems around the world. Frontline health workers are still at great risk, from lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) to discrimination or harassment. Some face repercussions for whistleblowing or walkouts. The current situation has given rise to a new wave of innovative protests and proposals from health workers on the frontline.
The Health Worker Protest Project is an open-source initiative to share and store reports of health worker protests around the world— coronavirus-related and beyond— to raise awareness of accountability challenges. Launched by the Accountability Research Center (ARC), an action-research incubator, this pilot project attempts to learn from patterns that may emerge when we see the international diversity of health worker protests and proposals. The proposition here is that recognition of health worker voices and actions will shed light on a wide range of accountability failures in public health and governance systems, as well as on their proposals for how to improve public health systems…Readmore