ILO is a specialized agency of the United Nations
 |
|
Health Care in Central and Eastern Europe:
Reform, Privatization and Employment
in Four Countries
A Draft Report to the International Labour Office InFocus Programme on Socio-Economic Security and Public Services International, August 2002 Health care workers throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are today experiencing the impact of restructuring and privatization. Focusing on four countries - Czech Republic, Lithuania, Romania and Ukraine - this project attempts to gauge how restructuring has affected the working conditions of individual health care workers. From the 2,215 replies to a questionnaire returned by health care workers, the analysis treats a wide range of issues, including hours worked, overtime work and overtime pay, relative earnings, non-payment of wages, changes in job tasks, job security and the role of unions in defending workers. It identifies a number of threats faced by workers, including the threat of job loss, income insecurity, and poverty and bargaining disenfranchisement. Following a brief overview of the health care systems of the four countries surveyed in section 1, section 2 briefly describes the method of this study. Section 3 examines in some detail differences and commonalities in the experiences of health care workers across the countries surveyed. Section 4 concludes by highlighting some policy relevant findings. Although still a draft, the report is of sufficient interest to merit publication in its present form. Click here for full document in PDF |
|
Updated by LD. Approved by GS. Last update: 22 August 2002.