From deaths, illness, burnout and mental health issues experienced during COVID-19 to attacks and harassment in conflict zones, health and care workers around the world face occupational hazards and risks. The World Health Organization projects a global deficit of 11 million health workers by 2030, with two regions bearing an increasing proportion of the gaps. Urgent action is needed to protect, support and safeguard health and care workers as a vital component of strong and resilient health systems.

The Global health and care worker compact identifies ten areas of focus within four domains – preventing harm, providing support, ensuring inclusivity and safeguarding rights –where governments and societies can improve the work environments and rights realization of the people doing health and care work. The Health and care worker law and policy lab consolidates national laws across each of those domains along with a guide to the existing international legal obligations to safeguard the rights of health and care workers and ensure that they have decent and enabling work environments. It is housed at https://www.hcwpolicylab.org/.

Well-designed and implemented laws and policies support health and care workers, improve retention, and support their engagement in health systems, efforts to end future pandemics, and improve global public health. Law is among the most powerful public health tools to support those doing lifesaving work in clinics and hospitals, homes and care facilities, war zones and climate disasters. The first step in applying this tool is understanding how national laws may or may not support that goal.

Arriving in summer 2025: Full and abridged assessment tools to support national policy review and planning.