GENEVA

The UN special rapporteur on the right to health on Monday called for a "paradigm shift" to redesign global health systems so they are "sustainable but also equitable" and grounded in dignity and compassion for those who keep them running.

"There is an urgent need to reimagine health systems everywhere in the world… in ways in which humans -- the critical health and care workers crucial for the functioning of health systems -- are valued and cared for," Tlaleng Mofokeng told journalists in Geneva, following the presentation of her fifth report to the Human Rights Council.

Mofokeng stressed that migrant health and care workers, many of whom are women, people of African descent, and Indigenous peoples, are especially vulnerable to exploitation.

"There must be a strengthening and protections for migrant health care workers," she said, urging reforms that include "fair labor contracts," credential recognition, and legal pathways to permanent residency or citizenship.

She also called for the full decriminalization of abortion and legal frameworks that ensure providers can act without fear or restriction.

Mofokeng also condemned the ongoing violence in Gaza, saying: "The war on Gaza has been a war on the right to health." She urged the international community to ensure immediate humanitarian access and to release detained health workers.

In a video message, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed Mofokeng's call, describing health workers as "the backbone of WHO's mission to achieve health for all."