KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 18

With the high risk of countries reducing investments in health to pre-COVID-19 levels, the World Health Organisation has asked countries, including Nepal, to recognise the importance of investing in health, particularly in primary healthcare.

'There is no economic security without health security. Health and well-being for all, universal health coverage, and pandemic preparedness have complementary roles. Investments in primary healthcare-oriented systems are the most efficient and equitable approach to achieving these goals,' said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director, WHO South-East Asia Region, who was speaking at the World Health Summit today. Nepal is among 11 countries in this region.

Since 2014, the South- East Asia Region has prioritised health workforce strengthening as a part of Regional Flagship Priority Programmes. The availability of doctors, nurses, and midwives has increased by over 30 per cent during this period which played a crucial role in the COVID-19 pandemic response. It is well established that countries with sustained investments in primary health care – with communities at the centre – were able to identify cases and mount an effective public health response to the pandemic more quickly.

'The COVID-19 pandemic was a wake-up call that was long anticipated by the global community. Yet the world was unprepared to deal with a pandemic of this scale. Preparedness is the key. We need to fill the gaps in the delivery of health services and health coverage,' said the regional director.

To address gaps and prepare for the next pandemic, she stressed investments and strengthening the six pillars of health systems; service delivery, health workforce, access to medical products, vaccines and technologies, health information systems, and financing backed by political commitment at the highest levels. Health care needs of all countries are expected to increase in the future due to the underlying changes in population growth, increased life expectancies, and increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and injuries.

Economic hardships due to COVID, the current geopolitical crisis, and inflationary pressures have hampered recovery with decades of progress in health service delivery and poverty reduction stalled or reversed. According to a press release issued by the WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia, investments in expanding primary health care oriented health systems served as the foundation for countries to rapidly mount public health actions .

A version of this article appears in the print on October 19 2022 of The Himalayan Times.