January, 2021
A little-studied multilateral organization – the International Labor Organization – comes to life in the discussion on the origins of universal health care.
The article Universal health coverage as a global public health goal, by Martin Gorsky, Professor and researcher at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Christopher Sirrs, Research Fellow at the Department of History of the University of Warwick, examines the efforts of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to extend medical care under social security through international conventions, advocacy and technical assistance.
Launched in 1919, the ILO grew from the peace settlement that followed the First World War and some motivations, such as the impetus for social reform arising from the labour movement.
We asked Martin Gorsky a few questions about ILO’s contributions to global health, the organization’s power in a neoliberal era, and its role in the Covid-19 pandemic.
What are the main contributions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to the area of Global Health during the past few decades? The ILO’s importance to global health throughout the 20th century was to lobby and advise member governments on behalf of workers in two areas: first health and safety in the workplace, and second universal health coverage and access to medical care, either under regulated health insurance or tax-based social security. Through conventions and technical advice, they have therefore helped the development of medical coverage within welfare states.
