COVID-19 Pandemic and Global Health Workforce Policies and Governance: Challenges and Issues at the Forefront

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused a considerable impact on all health services in the global north and south. The pandemic has continued sociological, economic and, health and well-being impact on the general population. Such documentation on the health workers, specifically those at the frontline remains elusive. The pandemic has been a double edge sword for the health workers, on the one hand, they were concerned with the unknown of the disease just like the public; while on the other hand, they had to put themselves at higher risk due to their vocation. In this call for session, we invite contributions focusing on strategies, regulatory and policy analysis during and post Covid-19 in dealing with health workforce challenges. This would include; the issue of retaining patient safety in the mobility of the health workforce globally; ethical, professional and moral responsibility of healthcare workers; the process of standardisation, training and certification of the healthcare professions and how this is regulated by the state; challenges pertaining to the implementation of mutual recognition arrangements in relation to healthcare professions across the global south; the role of professional association in certification, training and standardisation process of the health professions; studies as regards the impact of covid 19 pandemic on sociology, health and function of the health workers and regulatory support at the WHO level in relation to this matter. We would welcome contributions coming from empirical studies, scoping review, integrative review, meta-analysis, systematic reviews, and regulatory studies regarding these themes.