WHO recommends seven policies to build health system resilience, renew health security

In a new position paper, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the setbacks and failures faced worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted seven means for nations to begin building a more resilient and secure health system.

These recommendations include:

1. Utilizing COVID-19 response efforts to strengthen pandemic preparedness and health systems overall
2. Invest in public health functions such as those needed for all-hazards emergency risk management
3. Creating a primary health care foundation
4. Invest in institutionalized mechanisms to engage all sectors in the health process, working toward a common goal
5. Enable and promote environments for research, innovation, and education
6. Increase both domestic and global investment in health system foundations and emergency risk management for all hazards
7. Fix existing inequities that have led to a disproportionate impact from COVID-19 on already marginalized and vulnerable populations

“The pandemic has been a significant setback in our efforts to support Member States to progress towards universal health coverage,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said. “We cannot build a safer world from the top down; we must build from the ground up. Preparing for, preventing, detecting, and responding rapidly to epidemics starts with strong primary health care and public health systems, skilled health workers, and communities empowered and enabled to take charge of their own health. That must be the focus of our attention and our investment.”

While COVID-19 showed that the world has not learned from previous epidemics, leading to the lack of preparedness during this pandemic, WHO noted, it has also highlighted an opportunity for countries to rebuild their health systems more sustainably, equitably, and community-focused. No longer can countries merely react to events, they must be proactive, or WHO fears that pre-existing inequalities will only be exacerbated further. 

The organization said that proper implementation of new procedures could improve the implementation of the International Health Regulations set in 2005 and hasten the health-related Sustainable Development Goals.