Today is World Health Day and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that failure to address problems confronting health workers may push some health systems in Asia and the Pacific to the brink of collapse.

In recognition of the vital contribution of health workers to society and to raise awareness about their plight, WHO has devoted this year's observance of World Health Day to the world's health workforce.

WHO says decades of cost-cutting and under-investment in health have resulted in poor working conditions for many health workers. This has led to an exodus of health workers overseas for higher pay, the deterioration of some health services and erosion of public trust in health systems.

"It is high time health workers were paid decent salaries, and provided with the right working conditions and the right equipment to do the work they are trained to do," said Dr Shigeru Omi, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. He called on governments to act now and implement a better deal for health workers.

WHO has also published the World Health Report 2006, which seeks the alliance of stakeholders–policy-makers, international donors, politicians, health professionals, civil society, faith-based organizations and the media–to properly address the technical and political challenges of health workforce development.

"Health workers are among the unsung heroes of our time," said Dr Omi. "They work long hours in difficult conditions, often with little reward and sometimes at risk to their own health."

Traditional diseases, combined with modern-day lifestyle illnesses and the additional burden of emerging diseases and a growing ageing population, already are causing unprecedented strain on health-care systems, Dr Omi said.