SIG on Workers' Health report

Submitted by Ezequiel Lopez (Argentina)
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The Special Interest Group on Workers Health has achieved several things, but perhaps its greatest achievement has to do with being living proof that working together between major organizations is possible and fruitful.

The Hague Conference celebrated in The Netherlands in 2011 is the cornerstone of this joint work and I am confident this meeting may one day be remembered as the “Alma Ata” of Primary Health Care and Workers' Health.

WONCA, WHO and ICOH have taken the lead in demonstrating that working together is possible and fruitful between large organizations dedicated to patient centered care.
The joint statement of WONCA and the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) – the first one ever made together – was released on July 3, 2014, during the WONCA Europe conference in Lisbon, Portugal. see more

As a new SIG we have set course in order to take this pledge into practice. Main activities undertaken have included aiming to provide resources and support and promote research through presentations and workshops at WONCA conferences.

Attendance

The 32nd ICOH 2018 Congress on Occupational Health. Sponsor: ICOH. International Commission on Occupational Health. Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. ICOH-WONCA Session. Scaling up Workers Health Coverage Through Primary Health Care. Dublin Convention Center. Dublin, Ireland. April 29 to May 4, 2018.

The Future

We renew our commitment to work together with WHO and other organizations with the decision to generate a specific agenda and meetings for the discussion of Workers Health.
We also continue to have as goals to organize a work conference on basic workers’ health care in PHC settings, trying to continue the work done by WONCA, WHO, ICOH and many other organizations during The Hague Conference in 2011.

We have developed an SIG email Group for enhancing communication between members which can be accessed through our web page. This group already comprises 25 family and occupational health specialists from different regions

We are constantly developing SIG meetings during WONCA- and ICOH Congresses
We also set a special interest in identifying financial resources to support developments, and we reinforce the promotion of SIG activities through social networks.

Twitter https://twitter.com/PCWorkersHealth
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12122638/

Finally we continue to recruit and welcome new members from all WONCA regions who wish to work together to strengthen the discipline of Family Medicine with a special interest on Workers Health.