Chief medical officers in the WHO European Region aim for resilient health systems during and after COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted regular health services in most countries. Chief medical officers (CMOs) from across the Region have now come together to understand this impact, share their responses and lessons learned, and build resilient health systems to face the next health emergency.
Gathered at a high-level meeting hosted by WHO/Europe and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the CMOs discussed what services have been impacted most by COVID-19, drawing out insights to strengthen and rebuild national health systems.
“The speed with which the pandemic spread has pushed many health systems to the brink, with services and health workers being rearranged and reassigned to deal with the emergency,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge said at the meeting.
“This has, of course, resulted in the disruption of other health services, creating long waiting lists and leaving populations unattended to. We are here today to heed the lessons of the past 2 years and rebuild strong, resilient and well prepared health systems.”
The meeting also marked the launch of a new report by WHO/Europe, the European Observatory and the European Commission that looks at the way countries have coped with the COVID-19 emergency over the past months.
Titled “Health systems resilience during COVID-19: Lessons for building back better”, the study presents new evidence on how countries have managed (or not managed) to re-engineer what they do, who does what, and how they can meet both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 needs. It then outlines lessons for strengthening resilience to future health threats.
“Countries in the European Region have shown great resourcefulness and ingenuity when responding to COVID-19. But the pandemic has also exposed many pre-existing challenges, including weakened public health and primary care services, and workforce shortages,” said Dr Josep Figueras, Director of the European Observatory.
Presenting the new report’s findings to the CMOs and officials from ministries of health at the meeting, Dr Figueras highlighted the importance of taking note of the lessons: “Had these challenges been addressed, the provision of curative care could have been better protected and disruptions minimized during this pandemic.”
Rebuilding health systems after disruption
Two years into the pandemic, the majority of countries in the Region continue to report some form of service disruption.
The latest WHO survey on the continuity of essential health services shows that elective surgeries, rehabilitation, diagnostics, cancer and cardiovascular screenings, mental services, and dental care remain heavily disrupted in several countries, with long and unmanageable waiting lists, primarily because of a shortage in health and care workers. In turn, this is causing delays in access to preventive and curative care.
The new study builds on the core functions of any health system, such as governance, financing, resource generation, the health workforce and service delivery. It offers 20 strategies that policy-makers can use to assess the performance of their health systems.
“This is a strong case for investing in resilient health systems that are better prepared to weather any future threat to health,” Dr Kluge added. “These weaknesses have long been recognized, but with little action. We now need political will and political leadership to prioritize health and follow through on these pledges.”
Sharing best practices
The CMOs shared some of the best practices and lessons learned in their countries. Some explained how they are tackling longer waiting lists due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Others shared their experience in implementing some of the strategies to address delays in access to care.
The meeting and newly launched report are part of the work begun in response to recommendations issued in September 2021 by the Pan-European Commission on Health and Sustainable Development.
Chaired by former Prime Minister of Italy Professor Mario Monti, the Commission recognized COVID-19 as a catalyst for transformative change, and identified 7 key objectives to prevent a future crisis from disrupting health and financial systems to the same extent.
